Fly Me to the Moon
by Aoi Dragon
Summary: She is an unknown variable thrown into a new, but familiar world. How will the Marvel Cinematic Universe change with this new presence? Will it be for the better or worse? (BuckyXOC, slow burn; covers movies, Netflix, and TV)
1. France: World War II

Welcome to _Fly Me to the Moon_! I hope you enjoy this premise and the OC I have created. I have enjoyed writing it and am currently working on the fifth part of this story - which is over 600 pages of writing (the longest story I've ever written)!

I hope you enjoy, read, and review!

=)*(=

Diana Larson strode into her room in the suite she and her friends shared, dropping her keys on the end table near the door. She'd just come back from watching a midnight showing of _Avengers: Endgame_ that would have the entire "Old Guard" in it. It was already 3:00 AM, and she still had a thesis paper to finish for her Anatomy class later that morning. It was the final paper too, otherwise she'd have collapsed face first into her bed and taken a nap.

Instead, Diana rubbed her face and sat down at her laptop. She had already applied to become Pre-Med, so she should start get used to pulling all-night shifts. If she didn't finish this thesis, she'd probably fail the class and be unable to continue on to medical school.

She read over what she had already written and, once she got to the end, looked at the outline to figure out what her next point was going to be. Diana began to type, hoping she wouldn't screw this up.

The sound of the keys clicking was soothing. She yawned, bringing the back of her hand up to cover her mouth. After blinking a few times, Diana tried to focus on the paper again, but the letters and lines were swimming on the screen.

She scrubbed at her eyes and was about to start typing again when her screen went dark. Diana froze in horror, "No." She checked to make sure her laptop was plugged in. It was. "What the hell." Then she looked at the screen again. It was still black, but there was a silvery cursor blinking on it. Diana took a step closer, frowning.

Then the cursor moved, forming letters: IT IS YOU

"What?" She squawked and took a step away from her computer.

The cursor and words vanished, the screen returned to her paper.

Diana just stared, unable to understand just what the hell was going on with her computer. Cautiously, she sat back down at her chair, "I'm just tired. It was a hallucination brought on by tiredness," she mumbled to herself and stifled another yawn.

Time passed and it was nearly dawn when Diana's head drooped over her keyboard and her eyes closed as she fell asleep, her thesis still unfinished.

=)*(=

Diana awoke with a start and stared up at the ceiling. She didn't remember going to bed, but she must have. As she sat up, she realized that she was still in the clothes she'd worn to the movie. If she'd actually gone to bed, she would have changed into her pajamas. She looked around her room for her alarm clock to try to figure out what time it was.

There was no clock where it should have been, and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Diana realized that something was very wrong.

This was not her room.

With a racing heart, she crept around this strange room, trying to figure out where she was and just who had kidnapped her from her dorm. The first thing Diana did was try to open the wooden door; it was locked from the outside. There were also no windows in the room, although that wasn't unexpected. Maybe she was underground…

The room was very sparse – the bed, which was more of a cot with a blanket on it, and a wooden table on the opposite wall with two chairs. Diana searched for something she could use as a weapon so when her captor returned for whatever reason, she could attack him (or her) and escape. Unfortunately, other than the bed, table, and chairs, there was nothing else in the room, not even a lamp!

She plopped down on the cot and shivered. It was unusually cold for May, and she wrapped the scratchy blanket around her shoulders. Diana brought up her legs and enveloped them and her feet as best she could with the blanket. She held them with her arms and bowed her head to her knees.

Questions raced through her mind: Where the hell was she? How did she get here? How long had she been here? Did anyone know she was missing yet? Was she going to die?

She grit her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut in an attempted to stop the tears that threatened to trickle down her face. She wanted her mom.

Then Diana heard the doorknob rattle and her head shot up. A tear escaped one eye and she scrubbed vigorously at it as the door opened. She pushed herself up against the wall next to the bed to try to get as far away as possible from her captor.

In the darkness, she could see a tall, broad man. She could make out the glint of colored pins on one side of his chest. Diana blinked. It kind of looked like a formal army uniform from the movies. He looked up at his face, but couldn't see it clearly due to the darkness.

"Bit dark in here, isn't it?" He asked rhetorically in a gruff American accent. He turned around and called out in a commanding tone, "Someone forgot to leave a light in here! Bring one!" Seconds later, a uniformed man opened handed a lit oil lantern to the gruff American. He nodded, "Go back to your duties, Sergeant."

Definitely military, then. Diana decided.

The man turned back and set the lantern on the table, "Well, now, welcome back to the land of the living, missy." He turned to her and she could finally see his face.

Diana gaped, "Oh my god!" The man's shrewd eyes narrowed as she blurted, "You're Tommy Lee Jones!"

His eyebrows went up, "Sorry missy. I think you've mistaken me for someone else. My name is Colonel Chester Phillips of the Strategic Science Reserve in the United States Army, and I have some questions for you."

"But you're…" Diana paused as the names he'd given struck a chord, "Strategic Science Reserve?"

"Yes. That's right," he confirmed.

"Chester Philips?" She gawked.

"Colonel. Yes."

"This is impossible! I've got to be dreaming! I just saw _Avengers: Endgame_ and now I'm dreaming about how it all began. That's it! Wake up." She knocked herself in the forehead with the heel of her hand. Unfortunately, all it did was give her a mild headache, "Ow…"

The Colonel had a pinched look on his face, "I assure you that this is all real. You're in France and you're in the middle of a warzone."

"No, no, no, no. This is impossible!" She repeated, "This is just a movie – a movie franchise universe! And you're just an actor!" Diana pointed at the Tommy Lee Jones look-alike. Then what he had said caught up with her, "What do you mean France?"

His eyes narrowed, "You don't know where you are?"

"I fell asleep in my dorm room in Minnesota. That's the last thing I remember," she said.

He stared at her, contemplating, "That's very strange. Maybe an easier question: What's your name, miss?"

"Diana. Larson," she said. "I'm twenty-two and I'm from Minnesota. I was studying for pre-med at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. And I've never been in trouble with the law in my life!" Diana paused, "Okay, that's a lie. I've gotten two speeding tickets, but who hasn't gotten a speeding ticket?!"

"I see." He frowned, "You don't have any idea how you got here? What's the last thing you do remember?"

"I was typing a paper on my laptop when the power went all weird. Then this message popped up saying something ominous like 'It is you' or something. It went away, my paper came back, much to my relief, and I continued working. I must've fallen asleep." She pinched herself, "Ow. And I'm still not waking up. This has got to be some strong inception or something."

"What's a laptop?" The Colonel asked.

"A… you don't know what a laptop is?" Diana looked surprised, "A laptop computer?"

"Impossible. The only computers I've heard of fill an entire room." His eyes narrowed, "Try to think up better lies, missy."

"But it's not! Laptops have been around for years! Since, like, the 1980s or something!"

That made the Colonel lean forward, "Miss, what's the date?"

Diana blinked, "Year?" He nodded and she looked even more bewildered, but answered, "April 27, 2019."

"I see. Is that why you think I'm this Tommy Jones character?"

"Tommy Lee Jones is an actor. Chester Phillips is a character." She grit her teeth, "Why am I even telling you all this? It's a fucking dream!"

"Watch your language, young lady!" He snapped.

Diana winced, "Sorry."

"The date, missy, is December 28, 1943," he told her.

"Right. World War II." She nodded, "Captain America and his Howling Commandos and all that. This dream sucks. Why couldn't this dream have me hanging out with Cap and the Commandos? Why am I stuck with feeling like a prisoner of war?"

"You were found outside of a HYDRA base lying face first in the snow," the Colonel informed her. "For all we know, you could be one of them. Or a crazy person they'd been experimenting on. It's a toss-up for me right now."

"I'm not crazy!" Diana retorted, "And HYDRA can go f- umm… HYDRA can suck it for all I care. I'd never work for those evil sons-of-bitches. Not in a trillion years!"

"Hmmm…" He observed her for a few moments, and she shifted under the blanket, "Your clothes are strange enough. It's not the craziest thing I've ever heard of." He rubbed his chin with a thoughtful expression.

"What?"

"It's not impossible." His gaze looked her up and down again before he asked, "Why exactly do you think it's 2019?"

"Why do you think it's 1943-" She cut herself off as she remembered Doctor Strange altering time with the Time Stone. If the Reality Stone, Time Stone, and Space Stone were used together, someone could be sent to another universe and another time and place. Then there were those Cosmic Entities that she'd heard about from a Youtube video when one was mentioned as an Easter Egg in _Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2_. So what if...? What… if…?

"You've realized something. I can see it written plainly on your face." The Colonel had an intent stare.

"I, well," she hesitated, "I'm considering that maybe this is real. I mean, it sounds impossible, crazy, like a crack fanfiction or something. But I've seen it done with a lot of fandoms – Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, lots of others – where someone gets dropped into a fictional universe. And considering the… well… circumstances… I guess it could be possible. I just… why me? I'm nobody."

"I didn't understand much of that." The Colonel frowned, "Explain again."

"Well, ummm, if what I think happened is true," she pinched herself again and cringed. Dreams don't hurt, and she was starting to think that just maybe this wasn't a dream after all, "if what I think happened is true, then I'm from a different universe where all of this," she waved a hand about to indicate the room, "this universe is fiction, a series of movies spanning from 2008 to 2019 and beyond."

"And how exactly was this transfer between universes achieved?" The Colonel looked doubtful.

"I don't know."

He scoffed at her, "Right."

"Look, I can prove to you that I know more than I should."

"What exactly do you think you know?"

Diana began her explanation, "Steve Rogers, otherwise known as Captain America, was given the super soldier serum by Doctor Abraham Erskine in Brooklyn only a few months ago. Erskine was assassinated by a HYDRA Agent and, because you wanted a super soldier army and not just A super soldier, you made Steve into a war bonds performer and poster boy for the troops. You thought that by keeping him out of the war you could one day take his blood and have another scientist synthesize the serum from that blood in the future, someone like Howard Stark, who worked with Dr. Erskine. Steve even has a drawing of a monkey juggling on a unicycle in one of his notebooks."

"Alright, stop right there," the Colonel ordered and gave her a hard stare, "I told only a few people about my reasons for keeping Rogers away from the war. Maybe there's some credence to your theory."

"Yeah?" She looked up at the Colonel.

"You better not be lying to me, missy, or you're going to be in a world of trouble," he warned her.

"I'm not lying."

"We'll see." He turned to the door and paused with his hand on the knob, "You're probably hungry and cold. I'll send someone in with a meal and another blanket while I check out your story about the drawing. I will return, and we will continue this conversation."

"Yes, sir." She nodded.

He opened the door and closed it behind him. Diana could hear the wooden bar on the outside sliding into place, firmly locking the door.

"This is insane," she muttered to herself. "Why am I even thinking that this might be real? It's impossible! Things like this just don't happen! And why Captain America? Why not Ironman? Or Thor? Why am I the one stuck in the 1940s? What'm I supposed to do in the middle of World War II?"

Diana curled up on the cot. She knew next to nothing about the 1940s. World War II had never really caught her interest, and she the stuff she did know about was in the South Pacific fighting thanks to her great uncle's World War II journal. They might as well send her back to the States. Maybe then she could go to Bleecker Street and see if the sorcerers could help her get back home… if she wasn't dreaming. If they couldn't, her only hope was finding her way to K'un Lun without dying in the Himalayas or at the hands of the Iron Fist.

Some time passed and the lantern's light flickered on the table. Well, at least she had light in the room.

After a while of staring at the shadows on the wall created by the lantern, there was a knock on the door. Diana sat up and wrapped the blanket around herself again, "Come in." She heard the bar being removed and the door opened.

A man with dusty red-blond hair and a bushy mustache stepped in holding a tray of hot cereal or oatmeal. He gave her a small smile as he set the tray on the table and then removed his bowler hat, placing it on the very edge of the table.

"Hello. I'm Sergeant Timothy Dugan. My friends call me Dum Dum," he said.

"Hi," she answered, "I'm Diana Larson." Her stomach growled.

Dugan smiled again, "Sounds like you're hungry. It's not the best thing in the world, but it's hot and hearty." He held out a bowl of something that looked kind of like oatmeal.

"Thanks." Diana slid off the cot and wrapped the blanket more tightly around her.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" He opened the door and stepped out for half a second. Diana could see that it actually led straight outside into the snow. Dugan came back in a moment later with a long coat, "Here. Agent Carter is letting you borrow this. Make sure she gets it back."

"I will. Tell her thanks if I don't see her first." Diana accepted the coat and removed the blanket from her shoulders. She saw Dugan's eyebrows twitch up in surprise at her clothes, but he didn't say anything, only averting his eyes. She wrapped and fastened the coat around her 21st Century clothes. Diana sat at the table and picked up the spoon to eat.

Dum Dum pulled out a chair and sat across from her, "So, where're you from?"

Diana swallowed the bland oatmeal, "Minnesota."

"Minnesota? Never been. You must get lotsa snow up there."

"Oh ya," She exaggerated the stereotypical Minnesota accent, "we get lotsa snow up der, donchya know."

The accent made the Sergeant smile, "I'm from Dorchester, Massachusetts, myself. We can sometimes get buried in snow, but nothing like I've heard about around the Great Lakes."

"My family likes to go skiing when the snow's good enough," Diana said, "and my dad's always said that there's never been a winter cold enough or snowy enough to satisfy him."

"Sounds like a tough man."

She gave a small smile, "Yeah." Diana took another spoonful of the oatmeal.

"I actually can't believe you're eating that." Dugan said.

The blonde looked down at the soup, "I've been living off of pasta and crackers for a while because I've been too busy to get real food. Plus, the last thing I ate was popcorn at a movie, and I finished the bag halfway through." She ate another spoonful, "So, I'm starving. I think I'd've eaten this blanket pretty soon if you hadn't come in with this." She was laying it on a bit thick, but she didn't want to come off as suspicious.

Judging by the smile under his bushy mustache, Dum Dum knew she was exaggerating about the starving part, "Well, I haven't seen someone eat that stuff that fast since…" He got quiet for a moment. He cleared his throat, "Since Cap rescued us from HYDRA."

"Oh." She looked down at the oatmeal in a new light, "You must be tight on rations."

"Well, we haven't been to a town in a few weeks, so yeah. Provisions are tight." He nodded,

"But we're moving out soon. The Colonel needs to figure out who you are exactly and how you got here before we can do that."

"So he sent you in to babysit."

"I got a baby sister a little older than you."

"Yeah? I got siblings too. Two brothers and a sister." She scooped up the last of the bland oatmeal.

"Always nice to have family." Dum Dum said, "I can take that for you."

"Thanks for the food, even though you think it wasn't the best."

"With the way Cap eats, I'm surprised we haven't already run out of rations," the Sergeant joked as he gathered her bowl back onto the tray, "You should get some rest, Miss Larson. I don't know how long you were stuck out in the cold unconscious, but I'm glad we found you when we did."

"Who found me?" She asked.

"Monty – that is Major James Montgomery Falsworth – spotted the red of your dress in the snow. Thought it was blood," Dugan said. "It was Sergeant James Barnes who actually dug you out of the snow and carried you back to base."

"Oh." Diana swallowed, "Well, tell them I said thanks when you see them. I mean, if it weren't for them, I'd be dead – or worse in HYDRA custody."

Sergeant Dugan gave her a shrewd look before standing, "Well, I better get this back to the Mess and return to my duties. The Colonel may return at any time to ask more questions."

"Okay. Thanks for bringing me the stuff," Diana said.

He gave her a nod before he left, locking the door behind him.

Diana took a look around the room again, trying to figure out something to do while she waited for Colonel Phillips to return. The room really was very spartan. The cot, the table and two chairs and a nightstand were the only furniture in the room. The nightstand, which she hadn't seen in the darkness, had a drawer, which she opened. Inside was a deck of playing cards.

"Well, time to test my solitaire skills." She said to herself and set up the deck on the table.

After playing several games of single card draw and three card draw, Diana grew bored with the solitaire. She had no idea how much time had passed, but she was starting to get hungry again. To take her mind off her grumbling stomach, she tried to build a card tower.

There was a knock, and after Diana said, "Come in," the door opened and her tower fell. A soldier stepped in with a sandwich on a plate and a cup of wonderful smelling coffee. He said nothing as he set the meal down on the table and left.

"Well, thank you, anonymous SSR soldier." She said to the newly closed and locked door, "You were an excellent conversationalist."

Diana picked up the sandwich and ate ravenously. However, she savored the coffee – even though it was really crap coffee. She moved the plate to one of the chairs and began to build her card tower again.

After a while of frustration and failing to make a tower that would stay up, Diana sat back down on the cot. She picked at the sheets, fluffed the pillow, and with a very bored sigh, lay down. She put her hands behind her head and stared at the ceiling. To try to stave off more boredom, she started singing to herself.

After a while, Diana fell asleep.

=)*(=

She awoke to another knock on the door. Diana sat up and rubbed her eyes, "Crap. I'm still here." The knock sounded again, "Yeah, come in."

It was Dum Dum again with another plate of food and another cup of coffee, "Looks like you got some shut-eye." He teased.

"Well, there's not too much to do in this place." She stood from the cot and wrapped Agent Carter's coat more tightly around her. She then motioned to the pile of cards on the table, "I mean, I found a deck of playing cards, but there's only so much solitaire you can play before that gets boring too."

Dum Dum moved the pile of cards to the side as he said, "Sorry to hear that." He pulled out a chair and motioned for Diana to take the other one once he set the plate down on the table, "Fresh from the Mess. It ain't much, but it's better than rations."

"Thanks, Sergeant Dugan." She sat down in the chair, picked up the fork, and ate the military supper of spam and some veggies.

"Aw, just call me Dum Dum. Only my COs call me Sergeant Dugan, and that's only when we're in the field. 'Cept Colonel Phillips. He's all about military protocol. Anyway, most of us are pretty informal when on base. Cap actually prefers his given name over his rank or title."

Diana smiled a little as she took a bite of the spam, thinking over being on a first name basis with someone that she, up until a little while ago, thought was fictional or an actor. She couldn't get too close, especially to the Howling Commandos, in case she accidentally changed something. Still, it wouldn't hurt to call them by their first names if they told her to. Diana nodded, "Okay, Dum Dum."

He grinned and leaned back in his chair, "So, the Colonel is being very secretive about how an American woman ended up in the middle of the snow covered forest in France. Anything you can tell me?"

"If Colonel Phillips isn't telling you anything, I probably shouldn't either. Sorry." Diana answered as she shoveled a few veggies into her mouth.

"Hmm." Dum Dum nodded, "I understand. Just hard to get to know someone when you don't know what you can and can't ask."

Diana decided that she needed to know exactly when in the timeline she was. The date didn't really tell her anything since her only event touch-points were the rescue of the 107th Infantry and Zola's train. The montage in the Captain America movie wasn't really that helpful in establishing a timeline. "How long has this group been together?" She asked as she finished up the food on her plate.

"Well, the SSR's been around since the States entered the war after Pearl Harbor," Dum Dum explained, "but my group – the Howling Commandos – is pretty new. Less than a couple months old."

"Are all of you American?" She asked, already knowing the answer, but it was a logical question, "I mean, the Colonel's American, and so are you. Considering your captain is called Captain America, I just thought-"

"Nah, we're a mixed bunch." Dum Dum replied, "Monty, the one who spotted you in the woods, he's English. We also have a Frenchman, Jacque Dernier. Cap and Bucky are from Brooklyn, grew up together. We also got a Californian – James Morita. He's a Jap, but unfailingly loyal to America. He's also our field medic. There's also Gabriel Jones also from New York. He's a big Negro man. Smart as a whip and a great shot."

"So your company's made up of seven guys?"

"Yup." Dum Dum nodded, "Course we get support from the SSR if we need it. The Colonel and Agent Carter are in charge of that."

"Cool." She nodded. Dum Dum gave her a quizzical look and she backtracked, "I mean, swell or… umm… yeah, we'll go with that." Diana just trailed off, not really knowing what the equivalent meaning of the colloquial 'cool' would be. Apparently, that use didn't exist in the 1940s.

"We have a great group," Dum Dum continued. He glanced down at her empty plate, "Looks like you're done."

Diana nodded, "Thanks for bringing me the meal."

"Wouldn't want a pretty lady like you to starve." Dum Dum teased, "That just wouldn't be gentlemanly."

She ducked her head at his compliment, "Thanks."

He picked up the plate, "The Colonel will probably be talking to you later this evening or tomorrow morning."

"Okay. I'll be here."

Dum Dum paused at the door, "Sorry there's not more to do here, but with an unknown we have to be careful."

"Okay," she said, "I understand."

"If the Colonel doesn't get to you tonight, I'll bring you breakfast tomorrow, how's that?"

Diana smiled at the man, "Thanks, Dum Dum."

"See you 'round, kid." Sergeant Dugan tugged the door closed behind him and it locked.

Diana was alone again with only a deck of playing cards and the flickering flame of the lantern to keep her company. She decided to try her hand at spider solitaire, spreading the entire deck on the table in five columns of two cards deep since she only had one deck of cards. The game was, unfortunately, too easily with just one deck of cards as each round ended in victory within a few minutes.

Sitting back in her chair, she began to absently shuffle the cards. If she was brought to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, why was she here? What the hell was she supposed to do in the mid-1940s? If she tried to actively change the timeline, the Infinity War in the future could be lost without Captain America and the Winter Soldier. Or Tony Stark might never be born, resulting in no Ironman.

Then she had another thought: Wasn't her just being here changing things? Diana didn't know; she was no physicist. Maybe she was meant to change things. Otherwise what was the point of sending her to this universe?

In the end Diana decided that if she was going to be stuck here, she would play it safe and do her absolute best to not interfere with the timeline of events. Bucky would have to fall from the train. Captain America would have to be frozen in ice. World War II would have to rage for another two years – complete with two Atomic Bombs and countless more deaths. The only way she would change her mind is if the universe shifted and made sure she knew that she could alter the timeline.

She wondered what was taking Colonel Phillips so long to get back to her. If this was what prison solitary confinement was like, she wouldn't last long before going crazy. This entire situation was crazy enough. If she went insane because she was stuck in this room for days on end, well, there would be no point in her being here in the first place.

Diana paced the room, wondering whether this version of the MCU would include the Netflix series and the ABC series. Agent Carter and Agents of SHIELD had Hayley Atwell, Dominic Cooper, and Clark Gregg that were in both the cinematic and the television series. But the Netflix series were another matter as there were no crossover characters, just references to the events in the cinematic universe.

Moments later, there was a knock on her door. "Yeah?" She turned to the door and watched as Colonel Phillips strode in. Diana straightened, "What's the news, Colonel?"

He gave her a shrewd look and glanced at the cards on the table, "I see you found a deck of playing cards."

"Yeah."

"Sergeant Dugan reported to me about everything you said to him." The Colonel informed her as he pulled out a chair and gathered the cards on the table, "What can you tell me about the War? How do we end this?"

"I - " Diana chewed her lip and watched Phillips shuffled the deck of cards with practiced ease, "I don't actually know much about this front. My great uncle fought in the South Pacific, in Leyte and Okinawa. Here… I just know about the most famous landing on the beaches of Normandy – we call it D-Day."

"Anything else?"

"Hitler decides to attack Russia in the middle of winter," she told Phillips, "but I don't know when or where that'll happen."

"Don't you study these things in history class?"

"Wait, you believe me?! That I'm from another time and universe?"

The Colonel looked thoughtful, "There's not much that can explain your appearance in the middle of the forest in France. Other than the HYDRA angle, which Captain Rogers discounted since the facility they destroyed was not for captives, there's nothing else."

"Oh. So, I can leave here?"

"Not yet. I still have to fill out the paperwork about finding a civilian. It'll be difficult since, if your story is true, we'd have to classify everything."

Diana cringed, "I don't even know if I should have told you any of that."

"Why's that?"

"Well, there are rules to time travel."

"Is time travel so common in your time that you have to have rules?" The Colonel asked.

"What? No, the rules come from science fiction." She said, "I mean, I don't know if they actually would apply to this situation, but it's the closest I've got."

"And the rules are?"

"Well, there are fluid and fixed points in time. The fluid points are changeable in minor ways since no matter what a person does, the overall timeline won't change or will fix itself in the end. A fixed point is something that MUST happen."

"Hmmm… What happens if a fixed point is changed?"

"That's where things get hazy. In one science fiction show there are these other-worldly creatures that come down and kill everything, destroying that universe for ruining the timeline. In another the timeline becomes an alternate from its original path."

"Well, the universe hasn't imploded from you being here."

"Yet. There are events that I would consider fixed points that need to happen in this time period. It's like going back in time and trying to stop the Titanic from sinking. Yes, you'd save thousands of lives, but many of the people who died were or could have been very influential. How would their survival affect the new future? That's something you can't know for sure." She took a deep breath, "No one should have that kind of power. My being here was not my choice, so I'm gonna do my damnedest to make sure things happen the way I remember them, even the terrible things. Because if they don't, the future will be in jeopardy."

Phillips frowned, "What if you're supposed to interfere and create another timeline?"

"I don't know." Diana replied, "I'd like to think that the universe would give me a sign of some kind and literally push me in that direction, but until then, I'll stay out of the way."

"Hmmm…" The Colonel rubbed his chin, "I'll see if I can send you back States-side. Is that enough out of the way for you?"

"Yeah, it would be."

"If I can't get you sent back, we'll start filling out the paperwork to get you in the army." He paused, "We can put your medical skills to the test."

"What? But I haven't been to medical school! I was just studying for it! I haven't even graduated yet!"

"You know how to stitch?"

"Yeah. My grandma taught me embroidery."

"That's good enough. Our field medic, Private James Morita, can teach you a few things when he's not out of patrol."

"Okay. I can't make any promises that I'll be any good."

"Private Morita is one of the best we got." Phillips said as he stood, "Still, it's moot if I can get you back to the States and out of the warzone."

"When will I hear back from you?"

"No telling." Phillips shrugged, "Could be hours. Might be days."

"So I'm stuck in this room until then?"

"These will be your living quarters until further notice," the Colonel replied, "but I could easily give you an escort when you leave. The two soldiers stationed outside your door will do. However, you have to stay here at least until morning."

"I don't even know what time it is."

Phillips took a pocket watch out of his coat, "It's 22:34." Diana stared blankly, not used to calculating in military time. The Colonel sighed, "10:34 PM. You're gonna have to get used to military time if you stay with us."

"Noted." She ducked her head and blushed.

"Get some sleep while you can." He advised as he went out the door.

=)*(=

Diana was awoken by pounding on her door, "I'm up." Her voice was ragged from sleep. As soon as she said this, Dum Dum burst in.

"You need to come with me immediately." His voice giving no room for argument.

She rubbed vigorously at her eyes, "What's wrong?" And she swung her feet off the cot.

"You'll see when we get there. Come on!"

Diana then realized something, "I don't have any shoes!"

The Sergeant hissed through his teeth, "Private!" He tossed over his shoulder, "Give the lady your boots."

"Yes sir." One of the SSR soldiers who was guarding her door followed his commanding officer's orders.

The combat boots were ill fitting and too large over her bare feet, but Diana would have to make do and not trip on the way to wherever they were going.

"Let's go." Dum Dum ground out.

The Sergeant then took hold of Diana's arm and pulled her out the door and into the snowy December air. He eyed the clomping boots for a second, "Think you can run in those?"

"I can try."

With a nod, Dum Dum broke into a run and Diana followed. It was difficult in the boots, but she kept up, barely.

They made their way to a makeshift house that had a Red Cross sign hanging above the door. Dum Dum pushed the door open and Diana followed him inside.

Phillips was waiting for them along with… Diana froze at the sight of Captain America in his combat fatigues. "Don't get starstruck now, Miss Larson. We have a man down, so get over here and do what you can." The Colonel ordered.

She shook herself and tried not to look at the rest of the men gathered there; they were probably the other Howling Commandos. When she got to the bed, Diana sucked in a breath at the amount of blood on the man's clothes. She felt her face go pale and she glanced up at the man's face. His Asian features gave him away as Private Jim Morita. That explained why he wasn't able to do the job.

"Okay." She took a couple deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves, "I, uh…" She glanced around at the Commandos, each with worried expressions on their faces. Diana swallowed, "I need space first. Some of you are gonna have to leave."

"I think only the Colonel and I should stay and help." Captain America said, "Just wait outside, please." The Commandos followed his orders.

"I need someplace to wash my hands." She had to take her medical knowledge from television shows and movies, "I'll also need to cut away his shirt. And… I'll need lots of towels or cloths or something to staunch the bleeding."

"Morita was able to put a patch on the wound before he fell unconscious." The Captain said as he went about retrieving items that she'd asked for.

"Good. That'll help." She nodded and washed her hands in a basin of hot water the Captain had set in front of her. After making sure her hands were dry, she took some offered medical gloves and then he handed her some scissors. Once she removed the shirt, she could see the patch on his chest just below his collarbone and by his shoulder. The blood had seeped through, so the patch had become useless.

After flexing her fingers a few times, Diana took the bloody patch between her index and middle fingers and her thumb. Then she yanked it off with a harsh ripping sound. She hissed as she bullet wound leaked blood. "I'll need some sterilized forceps or surgical tweezers and a scalpel. Then I'll need a needle, thread, gauze, and tape."

The Captain retrieved all of these items while Diana used one of the towels to apply gentle pressure to the wound, preventing more blood from escaping. Morita had slowly gotten paler, and she knew he was losing too much blood.

Diana took the forceps and tweezers and used the latter to spread the skin of the wound. She grunted a bit when bile rose from her stomach into her throat, but she swallowed it back down. She'd done this to frogs and other animals in biology and anatomy class, and this should be no different. Once she had a good hold on the skin flap with her tweezers, she switched them from her right hand to her left and used the forceps to go into the bullet wound.

The squelching sound the digging made was enough to make her gag again, and she paused in order to recover. Diana took a deep breath and continued to move the forceps in order to find and grab onto the bullet. It took a little digging, stabbing, and spreading of the forceps, but she eventually got a good hold of the bullet. She was sure glad Morita was unconscious during the process since she knew she'd never be able to handle any groans or moans from the man.

Slowly, she drew out the offending object, causing a suctioning sound as she went. She dropped the bullet into a tray that the Captain had provided containing the other utensils she'd asked for. After she had removed the bullet, Diana used her fingers to press gently onto the skin to see if she could feel any shrapnel she may have missed.

When she felt nothing amiss under the skin, she threaded a needle and began stitching the skin together. Diana cringed each time she forced herself to stab into the skin flap on each side. It would make a nasty scar of puckered skin once it healed. When she finished tying off the last stitch she applied the gauze and tape. Then she turned to the Captain and Colonel, "You wouldn't happen to have the ability to do a blood transfusion, would you?"

The Colonel shook his head, "Unfortunately, we don't have the equipment. It's too heavy to move with a mobile unit like the SSR."

Diana looked back at the pale man lying prone on the bed and chewed her lip, "He lost a lot of blood. I don't know if he'll survive without a transfusion."

"Then we'll just have to pray." The Captain said as he stared at his comrade, "I'm gonna go tell the others." He turned on his heel and left the building.

The Colonel strode over to inspect her work as she went about cleaning the blood that had smeared on Morita's chest. As she dabbed at the blood with a cloth Phillips made a noise, "Hmmm…"

"Something wrong?" Diana asked, fearing that her skills hadn't been good enough.

"I think we might forgo the paperwork to get you back to the States," The Colonel said, "Having a secondary medic would come in handy if this ever happens again."

"Hopefully it won't."

"It's better to be prepared." Phillips paused to look at her, "You look like you're about ready to faint. Sit down before you collapse." He motioned to another bed right next to the one where Morita lay.

Diana sat and took a few deep breaths. Her adrenaline was coming down and the latent panic set in. Her breathing quickened, "I can't… I-" The bile she'd kept down during the surgery came back and, just before she hurled, a bowl appeared in front of her. She threw up into the bowl.

Colonel Phillips pursed his lips, but said nothing while she heaved into the bowl. She wiped at her forehead with the sleeve of Agent Carter's coat. "You okay, missy?" His voice was gentler than it had been previously.

"Yeah. I think so." She made a face at the bowl and put it aside, "Sorry about that."

"Not unexpected for a first time surgery." The Colonel shrugged, "Although you better get used to it. You'll probably have to do more in the future."

"So you're sure you want me to join the SSR?"

"Well, there's a saying, keep your enemies close and all that."

"Am I an enemy?"

"That remains to be seen. I'm a fair judge of character, though I have on occasion been proven wrong."

Diana nodded, "What should I do with this?" She held up the bowl she'd vomited into.

"Disposal is in the hole out back – it's also considered the toilet."

"Wonderful."

The Captain opened the door, "May we come back in?" He asked.

Diana stood from the bed and gathered the bowl, "Just a minute. I need to get rid of some gross smelling stuff." She took up some of the towels.

"Leave those. They'll be washed." The Colonel said and pointed to a metal can that served as a hamper.

"Okay." Diana dropped the towels into the hamper and brought the bowl outside. She looked around, trying to figure out where the toilet hole was. She spotted a pole sticking out of the snow and strode toward it. She emptied the bowl and washed it with some of the snow. She then returned to the medical building.

Upon entering, she saw the Howling Commandos gathered around their fallen friend's bed. Diana set the bowl down and made her way towards them.

"Is he gonna be okay?" The first Commando to speak was Sergeant Bucky Barnes.

Diana blinked at him, seeing the Winter Soldier superimposed over his World War II self. She stuttered a bit before clearing her throat and starting over again, "Private, uh, Morita… he lost a lot of blood. We don't have the equipment to perform a transfusion. So honestly I don't know. I'm sorry the news isn't any better."

"You did your best," the Captain said; his voice was kind, "I'm sure he'll be fine."

"I'll leave you to your friend."

"What's your name?" Sergeant Barnes asked.

She blushed, whether from being flustered or embarrassed she didn't know for sure, "Diana Larson."

"I'm Bucky." He introduced himself then pointed to each Commando, "That's Monty, Gabe, and Frenchie. You already know Dum Dum and Morita on the bed." Finally he smirked at the Captain, "And of course you've got to be familiar with Captain America."

The Captain rolled his eyes and corrected his best friend, "Steve Rogers."

"It's nice to meet all of you." She was trying to remain calm around the celebrities, especially the ones who were very attractive young men in their mid-twenties.

"Dum Dum's been telling us about you a little bit." Jones said, "Heard you're from Minnesota."

Diana nodded, "Yeah, I am. I was actually about to graduate from college when I ended up here."

"I've been to Minnesota once. They got lotsa lakes up there."

She smiled, "Yeah. One of my favorite past times was jumping in the lake for a swim. My great aunt even had a sauna."

"What's a sauna?" Barnes asked.

Diana tensed again. It was so weird hearing the voices of celebrities and seeing their faces as they were a little under a decade ago. It seemed that Barnes might be the most difficult to get used to with his future as the most dangerous assassin to ever live.

"Miss Larson?" The Captain looked concerned, "Are you alright?"

"What?" She turned her attention to him, "Oh, yeah. I'm still a bit, umm, my adrenaline's coming down from the surgery. I'd never really done one before."

"Well, you did quite a good job." A man with a British accent, Falsworth, spoke as he leaned over to examine the patch, "From what I can see, the stitches are clean."

"Thanks." She gave him a small smile. Then she returned to Sergeant Barnes' question, "A sauna is a steam bath. You go into a small house with a stove and benches and make it really hot and steamy. Then, when you can take it anymore, you run out and jump into the lake." She paused, "In the winter we'd sometimes run out and roll in the snow or cut a hole in the ice and have someone else dunk us."

"That sounds crazy." The Sergeant said before he smiled, "And fun."

Diana looked to the last Commando, Frenchie was what Bucky had called him, but Dum Dum had referred to the Frenchman as Jacques Dernier. He was a older than the rest, perhaps in his late thirties. So, she tried out the only phrase she knew in French, "Parlez vous anglais?"

The Frenchman couldn't help but smile, "Oui bien sur. parlez-vous français?"

"No, sorry, sorry. That's actually the extent of my French." She told him, "I learned Spanish in school rather than French."

"It iz alright." Dernier told her while a mild accent, "None of zese lads speak a word of French, alzough I haf been trying to teach zem. Sergeant Barnes is ze only one who's caught on to ze language."

"Knowing French would be really useful." Diana agreed, "Same with German. Maybe throw in Italian, Russian, and Japanese and you're all set. Think you could teach me a bit more French?"

"Oui mademoiselle." Dernier replied, "I would be happy to."

"So you're gonna stay with the SSR?" Captain Rogers asked.

The blonde woman nodded, "That's what Colonel Phillips decided. I don't know if I'm cut out for the army, though. I haven't even been through basic training."

"The Colonel will probably deal with that at our next posting." The Captain told her.

Morita moaned and his eyes fluttered open. The Commandos all leaned in as the medic blinked up at his comrades, "Did someone die?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Dammit, Morita," Sergeant Barnes scowled at him, "why'd you do a thing like that?"

The injured man gave a small smile, "Woulda gotten you in the chest, Sarge. The five inches made a world of difference." Then he looked over at Diana, "Who's the gal?"

"I'm Diana. I was able to get the bullet out and stitch you up." She told him.

"You're a nurse?"

Diana hesitated, "No, not really. Before I came here, I was getting ready to go to medical school."

Morita blinked at her, "You're the gal we found in the snow!"

"Yeah. I am."

"Glad you're not hypothermic anymore." His dark eyes glanced at her fingers, "And not even a bit of frostbite. Good. I wasn't sure when we brought you in."

"You guys got to me in time. Thank you, by the way, for saving my life." Her gaze passed over all of the Commandos.

"It's no problem, Miss Larson." The Captain said, "We saw someone in need and decided to help."

Morita grimaced and hissed through his teeth. Diana became worried that she might have missed something or done something wrong, "What's wrong?"

"There's morphine in the cabinet over there." Morita gestured with his uninjured arm to the piece of furniture on the far wall, "Do you know how to administer it?"

"I'll need to learn." Diana told him, "Colonel Phillips wants me to be a secondary medic for the SSR and the Commandos."

The prone man nodded before he looked to his comrades, "I'll see you guys later. Once the morphine kicks in, I'll be out again."

"Alright." Steve nodded, "Get better soon."

"Aye, aye Cap'n." Morita saluted with his good hand.

The Howling Commandos left the medical house as Diana looked for the morphine in the cabinet. Luckily, everything was labelled and she took out a bottle of liquid morphine and a syringe. She turned to Morita, "Okay. I got it." And walked back toward the best.

"Fill the syringe with thirty milligrams of morphine." Morita instructed.

Diana drew back the plunger a little past the correct dosage, tipped the bottle upside-down, stabbed the syringe into the bottle, and forced air into the bottle. Then she drew back the plunger again with the morphine flowing into the syringe. She'd had to do something similar many times for her roommate in college who had been diabetic and on bottled insulin. It was practice for the glucagon syringe in case her roommate's blood sugar ever went too low and she passed out. This syringe, however, was much longer than the needles she was used to.

Once she reached just a little over thirty milligrams, Diana took the syringe out of the bottle and held it up to what little light there was with the needle pointing up. She flicked it near the needle a few times to get any air bubbles to the base of the needle before she pressed the plunger. A little squirt of morphine sprayed out like a tiny geyser.

Morita nodded in approval, "Do you know how to find an appropriate vein?"

"Ummm…" Diana paused and looked at his good arm. He had a very prominent vein at his elbow.

The man took a deep breath, "You haven't done this before, have you?"

"Not really, no." She answered, "I just don't want to hurt you more than you already are."

"It takes practice to get it so it doesn't hurt much." Morita explained, "Don't worry. I won't blame you if it does hurt."

Diana nodded and bit her lip as the needle neared the vein. She paused, hovering just over the vein and glanced up at Morita, "Do you bleed a lot? I bleed a lot when I get shots, so the nurse always held a cloth over the needle to seep up the escaping blood when she removed the syringe."

"You need to see what you're doing." Morita shook his head, "If I bleed, we have bandages."

"Okay." She took a deep breath and pressed the needle into the man's skin.

"That's enough." Morita told her when the needle was only part way in, "You don't need to go in too far."

"Okay." Diana nodded before pushing on the plunger to administer the morphine. When all thirty milligrams had entered Morita's body, she withdrew the needle. He bled a little and Diana retrieved a bandage while apologizing for hurting him.

By the time she was done wrapping the elbow, Morita had fallen asleep. Diana set all the tools aside, making a mental note to wash and disinfect them when she found out where she could do that. It wasn't like this mobile hospital had running water or anything.

She finally was able to look around the room. There was the cabinet of medical supplied where she'd returned the bottle of morphine. There was also a stove on the far wall that was giving off heat. Diana approached it, trying to figure out if it was wood-burning or electric. She quickly found out it was the latter.

The door to the mobile hospital opened, and Diana turned around to see Colonel Phillips returning, "Just wanted to let you know that since Private Morita's gonna need care during the night, I've posted soldiers outside."

"You still don't trust me."

"Not yet, missy, but saving the Private did earn you some points in your favor." The Colonel said, "I'll have to decide what to do with you at a more decent hour."

"Alright."

"Have a good night, Miss Larson." He turned on his heel and left.

After some time continuing to explore the medical room, Diana lay down on the bed nearest Morita. She was exhausted.

=)*(=

When Diana awoke in the morning, she realized that someone had covered her with a sheet during the rest of the night.

"Good morning." Came Morita's raspy voice from next to her.

Startled, she gasped and looked over at the Howling Commandos' medic. He looked slightly better, with more color in his cheeks. She swung her legs out from under the sheet and stood, "How're you feeling?"

Morita shrugged one shoulder, "Better. I gave myself more morphine about an hour ago."

"You what?!" She gawked, "You should've woken me up! You shouldn't even have gotten out of bed! You-"

The Japanese-American man held up a hand to stop her, "Captain Rogers came to check in and brought be the vial and syringe. I didn't have the heart to wake you; you looked exhausted."

She eyed him with a frown, "Thanks." Diana paused, "Umm, should I check your wound or did you already do that?"

Morita shifted, "Well, the morphine is still working, but I think the wound could get cleaned and the bandage changed."

The blonde nodded, "Okay." She went about gathering some medical alcohol, a cloth, and new gauze and tape for a bandage.

He moved up on the bed with a grunt and said, "It's not often that I'm in this position."

"That's good." She paused by his bedside. Now that he was awake, this was so much more awkward, "Ummm." Her face flushed in embarrassment.

Morita chuckled, "I can tell you haven't had any medical training."

Diana scowled at him, squared her shoulders and reached for the dirty bandage. Taking hold, she roughly tore it off.

"Fuck!" He cursed loudly. Then his eyes widened and he sucked in a breath, "My apologies for my foul language."

She grinned, "Oh, don't worry. I've heard and said worse. But that's what you get for your bedside manner."

Morita grumbled, "Bedside manner, my ass." He glanced down at his shoulder and saw some of the stitches, "That's pretty decent work for a beginner. Looks like you have experience sewing."

"My grandma taught me embroidery when I was little." She dabbed at the stitches with an alcohol soaked cloth.

Morita hissed before replying, "Well, she did a pretty good job. Not the stitches you'd usually use for wounds, but they're serviceable."

She gave him a side glance, "Thanks, I think." She pressed the gauze patch gently onto the stitched wound and started to tape it.

Just as she was finishing, the door to the medical house opened. "Is everyone up yet?" Sergeant Barnes looked around the door, "I brought lunch."

"Heya Buck." Morita greeted.

The Sergeant flashed a smile, "And good morning to sleeping beauty."

"Good morning." Diana acknowledged and tried not to look at him. She knew she would see the Winter Soldier if she did. However, she still couldn't help but steal a glance as he moved closer. He looked so young and not world weary like he had during the Infinity War.

He held two trays, "It's not much, but once we move out, we'll get supplies." There was toast with a little bit of butter, coffee, and something that kind of looked like eggs.

"Thanks." Diana said.

"How's stupid doing?" The Sergeant asked as he put one of the trays on his fellow Commando's lap.

"Hey!" Morita looked indignant.

A small smile flitted across her face, "He'll live."

"Good." Barnes nodded. Then he whacked Morita upside the head, "You idiot! You could've pushed me out of the way, but no! Instead you just stepped in front and took the bullet."

"Oww." The Japanese-American rubbed the back of his head, "Hey, injured man here."

Diana's eyes darted between the Sergeant and the Private, "Okay, I don't know what's going on here, but please don't mess up my stitches."

"Sorry dollface." Barnes looked a bit chastised.

She briefly wrinkled her nose, "Not a china doll."

A grin crossed his face, "Noted."

Diana began to put the supplies back where she found them. She looked down at the blood spatter that had gotten on Agent Carter's coat and grimaced, "Sergeant Barnes," she turned around and forced herself to look at him. He looked up at her from Morita with his piercing blue steel gaze. She shifted self-consciously, "you wouldn't happen to know where Agent Carter is, do you? I kind of… ruined her coat."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, "I think I know where to find her."

"Okay." Diana hesitated again. It was difficult to keep eye contact with the future Winter Soldier, "I don't know if I can leave. Colonel Phillips said I'd need an escort to go anywhere."

"I think I'd qualify as an escort."

She tensed, "I didn't mean… I don't have to go with you. I just…"

"Have you gotten a tour of the base yet?"

"No. I'm not exactly considered a friendly."

The Sergeant sighed in exasperation, "Colonel Phillips is paranoid. He thinks anyone could be a HYDRA assassin."

Oh the irony.

"I very much doubt she's a HYDRA assassin." Morita chimed in, "We know how they treat their medical patients."

Barnes' expression darkened, "Yes. We do." He shook his head, perhaps to clear his thoughts and turned to Diana, "So, I can escort you to once you're done here."

"Alright." Her eyes darted to Morita.

"I'll be fine for a while. I'm not gonna die." He assured her.

The blonde nodded, "Okay, then let's go." She followed the future Winter Soldier out the door.

"So, what brought you to France?" The Sergeant asked as they walked.

Diana glanced at him, unsure of what she could say or even how much she should say. Still, she couldn't just leave the question unanswered, "I came here completely by accident."

"How do you accidentally end up in a French warzone and not even know how to speak French?" Barnes wondered aloud.

"I don't know. I told the Colonel everything I do know, though, so there's that."

"And I bet you can't say more unless you get the Colonel's say so."

"No comment."

He flashed her a grin, "Alright. I'll be happy to wait for answers." They came upon a large building, "This is Headquarters. We do all of our battle planning here." He paused to look at her, "You're not gonna spill our secrets to anyone, will you?"

"I know less than a dozen people out here. Who'm I gonna tell?"

Barnes chuckled, "Okay. Then this is the most likely place to find Agent Carter." He opened the door and the two of them stepped inside.

Like the Medical House, the Headquarters was also heated by a gas stove in the far corner. There was a huge map of Europe splayed across a table with various markers on it. Captain Rogers, Agent Carter, and Colonel Phillips were leaning over it speaking quietly about where they would move out to next.

Phillips was the first to notice them, "What's she doin' here? She shouldn't be in here. Get her outta here."

Sergeant Barnes straightened and squared his shoulders, "Sir, Miss Larson needed Agent Carter's help. Since she was in need of an escort, I brought her here, the most likely place to find who she was looking for. Sir."

Diana had shrunk back a little at the Colonel's harshness. Still she wanted to explain herself, "I just wanted to apologize for getting blood on Agent Carter's coat and maybe, possibly, ask if she had warmer clothes for me to wear." Her voice went up in a questioning tone and she added, "Temporarily, of course."

Agent Carter glanced at the Colonel, "Permission to help out Miss Larson, sir?"

Phillips glanced to the Captain, "Anything else you want to add, Rogers?"

"I think that just about covers it."

"Then dismissed." The Colonel turned his attention back to the map and his eyes scanned various routes from their current location to the next one.

"Well," Agent Carter turned her full attention to Diana, "let's go see if we can find you something else to wear." She looked to the three soldiers, "Gentlemen."

"Agent Carter." Captain Rogers acknowledged and Barnes echoed.

The brunette raised her chin, "Come along, Miss Larson."

Diana glanced at the two soldiers. The Captain shrugged and the Sergeant tilted his head to the side.

"Miss Larson!" Agent Carter called from the door.

"Okay." The blonde followed the other woman out the door. Diana walked beside the Englishwoman for a few steps before speaking, "So, we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Diana Larson."

"I know." Agent Carter said, "Colonel Phillips trusted me with your," she paused and gave Diana a keen side-look, "personal history. It's quite difficult to believe, but the Colonel seems to think it's feasible."

"And what do you believe?"

"I'm not sure what to believe." The SSR Agent took a deep breath, "However, after what I've seen with the SSR, I cannot discount anything anymore."

"Oh."

"It's still mad."

"You're telling me."

The stopped at a very large building, "The barracks." Agent Carter said before opening the door and entering a common area. She took an immediate right into an office. She glanced back at the blonde again, "My office." She approached a second door, "My quarters."

Diana looked around. Other than some papers on a small desk, the office was pretty spartan. The blonde approached the Agent and peeked around the door to her quarters. The brunette had turned on an oil lamp, which illuminated the windowless room. Agent Carter then knelt by a large travel trunk. She took out an olive green suit coat and skirt, a white blouse, a dark colored tie and a dark grey coat. She turned to another, already open trunk and lifted a towel and a bar of soap from it. She gathered the clothing in her arms and turned back to Diana, "Come along, Miss Larson."

"Where are we going now?"

"The shower house. I'm sure you'd like to bathe before putting on new clothes."

"Oh, yeah, that does sound like a good idea." The blonde followed the Agent again, looking around the base.

There were some SSR soldiers going about their duties, but they stopped to stare as the two women passed by. Agent Carter eyed one of them and said very loudly, "Keep walking, soldier." All of the men who had stopped to stare returned to their tasks. "You'd think they'd never seen a woman before."

"Well, I'm wearing a bloody coat and combat boots." Diana said, "I probably look weird."

The brunette paused and turned to look at the blonde, her red lips pursed. She gave Diana a once over, "I've seen worse," then continued on her way.

The shower house was a small, roofless building further away from the rest of the buildings, probably for privacy since it was simply walls and shower heads connected to a huge tank of water.

Before opening the shower house door Agent Carter turned to Diana with a warning, "I hope you're not expecting to have hot water. We're low of fuel, so warm showers are the first things to go."

"I jumped in a lake in the middle of winter. I think I can handle a cold shower."

Agent Carter opened the door and they entered the only room with a roof. It was heated, "Leave your clothes here. That way something will be warm after your shower."

"Thanks."

"I'll be waiting outside." The woman smiled a little as she handed the clothes, towel, and soap to Diana, "We wouldn't want one of the soldiers to walk in on you."

"No, that would be bad." The blonde took the proffered items.

"Ten minutes."

The blonde nodded and the Agent left. Diana's gaze darted around the small, warm room and found a bench where she could place her borrowed clothes. She undressed and took the soap and towel into the shower room.

Diana placed her towel just outside the shower stall area and turned on the freezing water. She wet her hair, turned off the water, and used the soap to wash it. She also rubbed the soap all over her body before turning the water back on and taking the cold water full blast.

Shivering, she wrapped the towel around her body and returned to the warm changing room. Diana quickly changed into the army clothes Agent Carter had provided and braided her blonde hair, although she was unable to tie it off.

Diana sat down on the bench and stared at the floor. This was the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She had fallen asleep in this place a few times now and she hadn't gone home. How could this even be real? How could this even be happening? Why her?

She trembled, but not from still being cold. She missed her parents and her siblings. Tears pricked at the edges of her eyes. Would she ever even see them again? Did they know she was gone?

God, she missed everyone.

"Miss Larson?" Came Agent Carter's voice, "Are you alright?"

Diana rubbed at her eyes, "Y-yeah. I'm fine. I'm done, uh, decent."

The brunette opened the door and her expression softened when she saw the other woman. The Agent entered and sat next to her, "While you may be decent, you most certainly are not alright."

The blonde swallowed, "Homesick."

Agent Carter placed a hand on Diana's shoulder, "I felt homesick when I first shipped out. Many of the men here felt the same." She paused, "I know your situation is different, but I do know a little how you feel."

"I don't even know how I got here!" Diana's voice trembled, "I don't know how to get home! I can't just click my heels together and say 'there's no place like home'. I don't think that's how this'll work!"

The brunette understood the reference, "Well, I may not be able to be your Glinda in that sense, but if there is a way to get you home, we will find it."

"I miss my mom and dad." The blonde told the Agent in a small voice, "I've been gone to college for months without seeing them and haven't missed them. Now I feel like my chest is being ripped apart."

"I'm sorry." Agent Carter's expression was filled with compassion.

A few tears escaped Diana's eyes, "What if… What if I can never get home? What if I'm stuck here forever?"

"I don't know, Miss Larson."

"I just wanna go home." The blonde put her face in her hands.

Agent Carter rubbed Diana's back, "We'll see if we can find a way for you, but I hope you know that I can't make any promises."

Diana nodded into her palms, "I know. I know." She took a few deep breaths, trying to rein in her emotions.

"Come on." The brunette told her, "Let's go back to the Medical House. There's an office there that Private Morita doesn't use. You could make that your quarters."

The blonde looked up, "I don't have to return to the room where the Colonel first kept me?"

The Agent shook her head, "Although until you gain our full trust there will be guards stationed outside the door and you will not be able to go anywhere un-escorted."

"Fair enough." Diana rubbed at her eyes before gathering her red dress, "Ummm, could I have this back?"

"Of course."

=)*(=

Private Morita had to stay in the Medical House for a couple more days to make sure his shoulder was healing well and that he could move his arm enough to quickly load and shoot a gun. He also had Sergeant Barnes or Dum Dum bring his medical texts for Diana to read since Colonel Phillips had declared that she would she the Howling Commandos' secondary medic should something happen to Morita, and she would be an off-the books nurse for the SSR. This meant that Diana would not have to fill out any paperwork to join the army; the United States would never know of her existence in official documents.

Just after the Commando discharged himself, Agent Carter strode in wearing a more casual military ensemble complete with a leather jacket, "You and I are going into town to get you a wardrobe."

"Getting sick of me borrowing your clothes?" Diana gave a half smile.

"You aren't exactly the same size as me and so my clothes haven't been very flattering."

"I'm not trying to impress anybody."

"Then I suppose 'flattering' is the wrong word to use." The brunette pursed her lips in amusement, "Perhaps 'professional' would work better."

"Yeah, I suppose your right." Diana looked down at the blouse and pencil skirt, "It would be nice to have some clothes of my own."

"Since we do not yet have a way to give you pay, the SSR will use funds for you."

The blonde blinked, "Thank you. I didn't know you could do that."

"We provide for our soldiers." The Agent said, "Come on. We should get moving. The town is a ways away by jeep, and we should try to get back before dark."

"Okay." Diana nodded, grabbed a coat that the other woman had let her borrow and the two of them headed out the door.

It was a bumpy ride to the small town in the French countryside. Diana didn't dare speak to Agent Carter since the terrain was so horrible. They stopped in a general store where the Agent asked the shopkeeper where they could find a seamstress – in perfect French, of course. That shop was not too far, although they would have to choose their fabric from the general store.

"I defer to your expertise," Diana said.

The brunette began gathering all sorts of fabrics and objects; Diana had no idea what some of them would be used for. When Agent Carter saw the blonde's questioning look, she explained, "You'll need undergarments too."

Diana flushed, "They're custom made?"

"Is that not common where you're from?"

"No. Not really. Everything's mass produced." The blonde replied, "If you want something custom, it'd cost a pretty penny."

"I see." Then she took out two fabrics that were a bit fancier than the rest, "What do you think of these?"

Diana ran her fingers along the soft blue fabric and then the pink, "They're nice. Why?"

"You will need at least one dress for special occasions – holidays and celebrations and the like. These colors will compliment your pale complexion."

"Do I really need two?"

Agent Carter eyed her, "Yes." Her voice had the tone of finality, "We do have parties for holidays, and when we win the war, you'll need something for that celebration."

"I see your point." Diana conceded.

"Toiletries." The brunette said suddenly, and she began gathering a few items: brush, make-up kit, soap, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and feminine hygiene products.

After paying for the items, the two women made their way to the seamstress. Agent Carter spoke to the woman, explaining what Diana needed for her new wardrobe. It took quite a while to take measurements, and the seamstress requested they return in the next two days for the clothes. The SSR Agent accepted and gave half the payment right then.

Two days later Agent Carter and Diana returned to the town for a fitting. The seamstress did alterations on the spot and informed the two women that the wardrobe would be ready that afternoon. So, Diana and the SSR agent found a small café and sat down to wait.

"It's good that your clothes are ready. It would've been difficult to get you an actual wardrobe as we'll be moving out to Belgium early tomorrow morning."

"How's that gonna work?" Diana asked, "I mean, are the soldiers just gonna tear down the Medical House?"

"That's exactly what they're going to do." The Agent said, "We are a mobile group and we make sure all of our facilities can be torn down and put back up the same as they always are. We do try to make use of structures in the vicinity of our camp, but they're rare. Did your world not show the various missions?"

"Well, no. Not really. The movie was already over two hours long as it was, and that was just the highlights of the creation and missions of Captain America and his Howling Commandos." Diana explained. It still felt weird talking about the films she'd seen growing up to one of the actual characters-turned- real people.

"That's understandable. I suppose you can't show years' worth of material in a single film."

"Yeah." Diana looked down into her tea cup, "I've been here for almost a week, and I still think it's weird seeing famous people every day." She paused, "Some of them are so different in my time."

"How so?"

The blonde hesitated, unsure of how much she should say about the actors of her time. She went with a middle ground, describing the characters of the future, "Well, war does things to people. It makes them world weary and sometimes jaded."

Agent Carter looked sad, "I can already see that in some of the men."

"'Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.'" Diana quoted from a Wilfred Owen poem.

The SSR Agent nodded, "I am familiar with that poem, although war is neither sweet nor glorious, not when you've experienced its savagery and evil. And yet we keep telling our boys that exact thing to get them to fight." The brunette sighed, "However, when you do have something to fight for against something so evil – whether HYDRA or the Nazis – it is certainly the right thing to do."

By late afternoon, the seamstress finished Diana's clothes and the two women returned to base just before the call for supper.

"Thanks, Agent Carter, for buying these clothes for me."

"It's no problem. Like I said, we provide for our soldiers – that extends to our medics as well." The brunette smiled, "And please call me Peggy when we're not in an official capacity."

"I'll do that."

"Supper is in a half hour. The Colonel has yet to call of the need for someone to escort you around the base, so would you like me to return to send someone else?"

"Either way. I want to get all this put away before we go to the Mess."

"Alright. I'll see you in a few moments." Agent Carter – Peggy – left the Medical House.

Diana headed into her quarters and began folding the clothes into a small trunk Agent-Peggy had bought during their second trip into the French town. She just closed the lid when she heard a knock on her door.

"I'm almost rea-" Diana paused when she realized it wasn't Peggy standing in front of her but Sergeant Barnes, "Good afternoon Sergeant." She took a step back and her gaze darted off to the side.

He glanced over her shoulder and noticed her packing, "Looks like you got the memo about moving out tomorrow morning."

"Peg-Agent Carter told me, so I figured I'd start. I mean, I don't have much, but still." The blonde tucked some loose hair behind her ear and her eyes flitted down to the floor. This was the future Winter Soldier. She cleared her throat, "What can I do for you, Sergeant?" At the question, she looked up to meet his eyes, clear blue like the ocean.

"I was recruited to escort you to the Mess." He told her and gave a charming smile.

"Is it that time already?" She looked at her wrist and winced since there was no watch there, "I really need a clock in here."

Barnes chuckled a little, "We'll see what we can do about that." He held out his arm, "Shall we?"

Diana gulped, because the arm he held out war his left, the arm he would lose during his fall. The arm that would be replaced by one made of vibranium. She cleared her throat and cautiously took his arm and stepped closer to him. Warmth radiated from his body. She took a deep breath, "Lead the way, Sergeant Barnes."


	2. Belgium & Czechoslovakia: Basic Training

**The events of** ** _Captain America_** **continue, and we're still in the movie's montage. Also I forgot to mention, the title card I put up for the story gives hints as to what and whom are important to the story.**

 **For a lot of the military information I used my Great Uncle's World War II Journal as a reference. He trained in 1942 and fought in the South Pacific in 1943-45: Leyte and Okinawa. He was one of six from his unit to return without serious physical or mental injuries. He kept extensive appendices (they're longer than the actual journal!) with 72 different types of training he had to go through to prepare for combat. I'm sure both those going to Europe and to the South Pacific had to go through all this training in case their Division was reassigned.**

 **So, please enjoy and review! Thanks!**

 ***FMttM***

An alarm rang at 0400 and the base came alive with SSR soldiers and Howling Commandos taking down the wooden barracks, Mess, and other buildings. The medical house came down last in case there had been any injuries during the disassembly of the SSR base.

Diana offered to help, but many of the soldiers eyeballed her and the fact she was a woman and scoffed at the idea. So she stood out of the way with her arms crossed and watched the men work, "You know, English soldiers let the Queen…" Diana trailed off, remembering that Elizabeth wasn't Queen of England yet and corrected herself, "Princess Elizabeth do stuff like drive and… stuff." She pointed out.

"Well, then," Major Falsworth plucked some keys from Private Morita, "you can drive the jeep containing the medical house." He walked over and held out the keys to her, "If you know how to drive this sort of vehicle."

She glared at him, "Of course I know how to drive!" And she snatched the keys from him, "I've been driving since I was fifteen."

Major Falsworth gave her a small smile, "Alright, Miss Larson. We'll be leaving once we've finished loading the personnel vehicles, so you better familiarize yourself with the jeep. We have a twelve hour drive."

As the Major walked away, Morita spoke, "These jeeps have a manual gear shift. They're stubborn, so it'll take a bit to get used to. The medical house is usually in the middle of the caravan, so if something goes wrong we can get to it quickly."

"Manual?" Diana blinked, "It's a stick shift?"

The medic tilted his head to the side, "I guess you could call it that, yeah."

"Shit." She cursed.

Up went Morita's eyebrows at the foul language coming from a lady, "Never heard that from a dame."

"I don't actually know how to drive stick, manual, whatever. I learned on an automatic."

The Private nodded, "I can drive instead. That's what's been done in the past."

"No way!" Diana clutched the keys a bit tighter, "I can't just be dead weight and I'm not a helpless damsel."

"I never said you were either of those." Morita gave an amused smile. Then, "Alright, I can teach you if you let me ride shotgun."

She paused to think for a moment before nodding, "Let's do that."

"Alright. I gotta help finish up here, and then I'll come back to show you the basics before we get on the road. Okay?"

"Thanks, Private Morita."

The medic hurried away and Diana turned to stare at the jeep. She would drive it if it was the last thing she did in this universe. She leaned against the cold metal and closed her eyes, hoping that she wouldn't be in the MCU for much longer. She had to get out of here. Being around the Commandos - knowing how they'd die or how they'd be lost in the future for a long time – was painful. Diana wouldn't, couldn't, do much (if anything) to change those events.

Diana's breath started fogging up the metal with each exhale. She would not cry. She would not cry. She had to be strong in front of these soldiers who didn't know her or her situation. They'd just look down on her even more. She could not think of home or she'd cry. She could not think of the future of the Howling Commandos since that would make her think of Bucky suffering at the hands of HYDRA and Steve being so lost in the future without his best friend and the prospect of love.

"Miss Larson, are you alright?"

Her eyes snapped open and she turned around. Captain America was standing in front of her, "I'm fine, Captain Rogers. I just…"

He looked at her critically and frowned, "Are you sure? You don't look fine."

Diana puffed out a long sigh and tried to compose herself, "It's nothing, Captain." She gave him a false smile. His brows furrowed into the expression MCU fans had dubbed the 'eyebrows of disappointment.' Diana couldn't handle that look being directed at her, so she shook her head and told him, "I miss home and… everything."

A look of compassion replaced the 'eyebrows of disappointment'. This was not Captain America. This was Steve Rogers: "I can't even imagine what you're going through." he told her. "We all have had moments of homesickness. What I wouldn't give to see the Brooklyn Bridge again or to buy a hot dog at Coney Island. Hell, I even miss that eyesore of a dumpster in that alley where I got into most of my fights." He raised his face toward the cloudy sky and closed his eyes, "I can almost smell the city streets as they'd be right now. I can see the steam rising from the manhole covers because it's so cold."

Steve Rogers opened his eyes and looked at her with a sad smile, "I miss home too. I know it's not the same as what you're going through, losing everything so suddenly and being forced to come somewhere you didn't want to go, but I have a small idea." He gave a small smile, "Even though I miss Brooklyn, I just think about what we're fighting for – it's a good cause, a just cause, a righteous cause." He put a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay to miss home. If you need to talk, Peg-Agent Carter and I will listen. The Howling Commandos and the SSR are a family. You're part of that family now, Miss Larson, and we'll be there for you, always."

"Thanks Captain Rogers." She looked at him gratefully.

He smiled, "Call me Steve when I'm not acting in an official capacity."

Diana nodded, "I'll try." Keeping herself separate from the people she was planning to leave as soon as she could was important. It would hurt more if she cultivated friendships with anyone in this universe if she was simply going to leave as soon as she found a way to do so.

The Captain nodded and looked at the jeep, "You driving?"

She raised her chin, "Yes."

"Good." He nodded, "So many of these guys don't think women are capable and that P-Agent Carter's the exception rather than the rule. You show 'em, Miss Larson."

Diana couldn't help but smile, "Oh I will."

With a look of approval, Captain America walked toward the head of the caravan. Still, his words resonated with her, and she felt like a weight had been listed from her shoulders.

Morita soon returned to the jeep and after a crash course on how to drive a vehicle with a stick shift, the caravan was underway.

*FMttM*

The caravan to Belgium moved at a snail's pace going north-northwest for about 250 kilometers, which Morita translated to just over 150 miles. Every so often, scouts went out ahead on motorcycles to make sure there were no Nazis or HYDRA agents lying in wait to ambush them on their travels. France and Belgium were still in enemy territory and so the caravan was labelled at a French convoy with Nazi emblems, but they still had to be covert.

Due to their slow speed, the SSR was on the road for almost half the day. At a normal speed, Morita informed her, they could have made the trek in two and a half to three hours. After about six hours of driving, the Commando medic offered to switch places and drive for a while at the next stop; Diana accepted as she was starting to get tired. This mobile military unit illustrated just how different the lifestyle for these men were from the stationary units and especially from the people back Stateside.

Eventually, the SSR reached the predetermined destination and the soldiers went to work setting up the base among the wooded area. They used camouflage over the all of the buildings, focusing on the large ones as they'd be the most obtrusive and noticeable to the enemy. The medical house and barracks went up first with the mess hall following soon after. It was dark before all of the soldiers finished constructing all of the buildings for the base.

Colonel Phillips then sent out a small contingent of SSR soldiers to do a night sweep circling close and then going several kilometers out as they didn't know the exact location of the HYDRA base. This would continue to expand for several days with a couple sightings of HYDRA soldiers – none of which got away – when it was hypothesized that they were getting close to the base. All soldiers had been ordered to not engage the HYDRA agents as that could easily alert their base that the SSR was close.

Diana stayed in the medical house stitching up wounds and slashes soldiers received from their ventures into unfamiliar territory. Private Morita would always be around if the injury was more severe – there was a multiple break in an arm – or rather a compound fracture - when a soldier fell from his perch in a tree.

The scouting lasted about two weeks before the SSR found the base, hidden in a very dense forest where the soldiers had almost gotten caught several times. They had been forced to observe the change of the guard in order to send scouts further in, hence the long period of time for getting to the actual base.

It was almost mid-January when Colonel Phillips called a briefing meeting for the Commandos to plan the invasion of the HYDRA base the next day. The base was a weapons manufacturing facility, and all they had to do was get in, cause as much destruction as possible, kill as many snakes (that's what they started calling the HYDRA soldiers) as they could, and get out without injury. However, that wasn't the news Diana received that same day.

Colonel Phillips appeared in the medical house holding a folder and looked around the place, "Looks like you're keeping this ship-shape."

"Private Morita wouldn't have it any other way," Diana replied, "and I like things neat too. What can I do for you Colonel?"

"Although we can't instate you into the United States Army, I would like you to go through some basic training – physical exam, hand-to-hand combat, and firearms," the Colonel informed her. "There may be a time when you'll have to go out in the field, and knowing you're capable out in the field as well as on base will be a benefit for all of us." He handed her the folder, "This is your new itinerary for the basic training. The only thing that'll supersede your training is injuries where Private Morita needs your help."

Diana opened the folder and saw a very detailed schedule for physical and hand-to-hand training. Firearms training was 'to be determined' upon finishing physical and hand-to hand. Then she saw the daily wake-up call: 0400. "No…" She moaned.

"Get used to it, missy. 'Cause if you don't take this training, you're gonna be benched and we'll be down a medic." The Colonel narrowed his eyes at her, "Be ready tomorrow at 0400 for your training in military protocol and courtesy. Wear your uniform." He then turned on his heel and left the medical house.

She turned the page to the detailed list of military protocols and courtesy that she would be learning over the next few days. There were a few trainings that were blacked out, and Diana guessed it was because those were topics she didn't need to know right now.

1\. Military Courtesy – address to soldiers and officers, salutes, etc.

2\. Military Signs and Symbols

3\. Military Hand Signals

4\. Writing of military messages & reports

5\. Map-reading

6\. The compass and compass courses

7\. Identification of planes & tanks

8\. Obstacle courses

9\. Creeping & crawling

10\. Gas masks & training

11\. Jiu-jitsu or judo

12\. Bayonet & trench knife

Diana stared at the list and mentally checked off being able to read maps and use a compass. So that was three of the dozen lessons she would be able to do well on the first time through.

On the next page was a list of the training she would have to take for firearms. The list was extensive, but many had been blacked out.

1\. Care & Nomenclature of MI Rifle

2\. Care & Nomenclature of MI Carbine

3\. Care & Nomenclature of Browning Automatic Rifle (B.A.R.)

4\. Care & Nomenclature of Sub-Machine gun

5\. Care & Nomenclature of 30 mm light machine gun

6\. Firing of all weapons

7\. .22 rifle firing

8\. The '03 Springfield rifle

9\. Study of Jap & German arms

10\. Firing from the hip

Diana held the papers up to the light and added the final number on each list in her head. She came up with a total of at least seventy-two topics soldiers had to go through in basic training. Oh yeah, this was gonna be fun. Not.

*FMttM*

Diana set an alarm for quarter to four in the morning in an attempt to at least be dressed before Colonel Phillips entered the medical house. She had just finished putting on her shoe over her long stocking when the door slammed open.

"Attention, Army Medic Larson!" The Colonel barked.

Diana sprang to her feet, wobbling when her ankle turned from the high heel of her shoe. Once she recovered, she stood straight and looked forward, as _Full Metal Jacket_ had shown during a similar inspection.

The Colonel scoffed, "That was painfully slow. You'd already be dead if we were under attack. Do better next time."

"Yes, sir." She nodded vigorously, "I'll do better, sir."

He gave a nod of approval, "At least you have some of the courtesy down."

"Yes, sir. There are many films that show army life, and I'm using what I've learned from them as a basis for what I should do here."

Colonel Phillips looked thoughtful, "Then we should see what you already know. Come with me."

He led her to the building where the SSR gathered and acted upon intelligence. He led her to a side room containing a table, chair, several pencils, and a stack of papers.

"Your lessons for today. We can't spare anyone right now, but this is simply a preliminary exam to see what you already know," the Colonel informed her, "I'll return in a few hours."

It took her almost all day to complete the papers. An SSR soldier brought her three meals; it was the only way she was able to keep track of time while she guessed at ninety percent of the questions posed in the papers. After supper, Colonel Phillips returned and released her from the room.

"Go immediately to the medical house." He instructed, "There were some minor injuries on the mission which Private Morita has taken care of. Still, I would like you to see what he's done before we start the next part of your training at 0400 tomorrow."

"Yes, sir." She gave a hesitant salute to which Colonel Phillips gave a nod of approval. She then dropped her hand down her side, and that made the Colonel frown. "Did I do something wrong?"

"A formal salute includes an outward motion of the hand before dropping it to the side." He gave her a demonstration.

"Oh, oh!" Diana came to a realization, "The military stopped doing that after the War to avoid their salutes from accidentally turning into a Nazi salute."

"That's a good point that I've never thought about." Colonel Phillips looked pensive, "Continue doing the salute that way. You have my approval due to your reasoning – or rather the future U.S. military's reasoning."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"You're dismissed."

Diana plodded toward the medical house, ready to simply collapse into her bed. Her brain hurt, her eyes hurt, and everything hurt.

Private Morita looked up from his work, "Miss Larson," he greeted, "I heard you were starting your basic training." He frowned at her then, "You look a sight. Are you alright?"

"Fine. Tired."

"I just finished sewing up a gash on Corporal Jones here," The medic told her, motioning to a raven-haired man lying on his stomach without a shirt on, "Nearly got his kidneys punctured. You wanna clean it? I was just about to."

"Sure." She saw a bowl of steaming water on the bedside table with a cloth beside it. Diana took up the cloth and dipped it into the bowl. She could smell the alcohol in it as well. Then she dabbed it at the wound, making the SSR soldier hiss.

"Serves you right for being stupid." Morita chastised, "If Barnes hadn't sniped the snake, you'd have died at the second blow." The Corporal mumbled something into the pillow and the Commando medic leaned forward, "What was that?"

The prone man turned his head to the side, "I didn't sign up for the SSR to be demeaned by a Jap."

Diana grit her teeth and pressed down hard against the wound. The Corporal yelped and she sneered, "Say that again, you racist bastard. I dare you."

"It's okay. He's just a greenback." Morita's expression was stoic.

"Just because he's a newbie doesn't make his statement acceptable." She shot back and pressed down on the Corporal's wound again, "If I ever hear you insult Private Morita or anyone in this company, I will make sure everyone knows that you're a bigot and a racist from Colonel Phillips and Captain America to the lowliest Private in the SSR." Then she leaned forward, "Or maybe you should just join the Nazis. You do seem to share their ideas about race."

"Miss Larson," Morita murmured as the Corporal whimpered, "May I speak to you outside?"

Diana raised her chin and set the cloth back next to the bowl of diluted alcohol, "Of course."

The two of them stepped outside of the medical house and the medic closed the door behind him.

Then he turned to her, "While I'm grateful for your support, you have to understand that I've had to deal with these types before. Now, I know you're tired, and so we can blame this incident on fatigue."

"I've done nothing wrong."

"No, you haven't, but the Corporal could twist the situation into an attack from someone who hasn't fully gained the trust of the SSR." Morita explained, "I just don't want to see you get in trouble."

The blonde chewed her lip, "Thanks for your concern. I just wish people wouldn't judge others by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

The Japanese-American man smiled, "That's a nice thought. I don't think that'll happen any time soon when it comes to people like him." He paused, "I will inform the Colonel about this, though. He prefers to keep abreast of soldiers he might have to keep an eye on." He looked her up and down, "Get some rest. I doubt anything'll happen because of this, but just in case, put something in front of your door."

"I will."

Private Morita escorted her back inside. They strode past the Corporal, who glared at her from the bed as he hadn't yet been dismissed by the medic. The Private paused, "Get out of here, Corporal Jones. There's no reason for you to stay."

The other man got to his feet and left without a word or a salute. Diana watched him go, "What a pleasant fellow."

Morita cracked a smile, "They're few and far between in the SSR, but they do exist. The Colonel tries to keep an eye on them or get them reassigned if needed." The medic motioned to the office door that had become Diana's quarters, "Don't forget about what I said. Just make sure you remove whatever you put in front of it before the Colonel comes in the morning."

"Good thinking. I wouldn't want to make the Colonel force his way inside the room."

"I'll go make the report so that the Colonel knows what happened. I'll probably see you in the morning. I have breakfast KP."

"Sounds like fun. I'll see you tomorrow."

*FMttM*

Over the next few days, Diana worked on the first batch of lessons for her basic training, and the Colonel was pleased with her knowledge put forth to her at the end of January. She also heard that Corporal Jones had been transferred as the incident in the medical house hadn't been his first offence, although it was the least violent. He was apparently sent to North Africa to attack Italy.

The SSR, however, was to make its way to Czechoslovakia, to another HYDRA base. This trek would be going through thick enemy territory, and there was a high chance of being caught. Since Diana was a woman, she would have to be hidden in some way as the Axis forces had very few women in their ranks, if any. Furthermore, Morita would be unable to drive the medical house truck as he was, obviously, not white. With Nazis prowling the countryside between Belgium and Czechoslovakia, the SSR would have to be careful.

The planned route would take them through neutral Luxembourg, and they would have to sneak by the heavily populated Nuremberg. The soldiers who spoke fluent German would be the only ones allowed to drive. Out of all the members of the SSR and the Howling Commandos, Colonel Phillips chose Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes to drive the truck containing the medical house.

"Looks like it's me 'n' you, dollface," the Sergeant gave her a smile.

"Don't call me that." She gave him a sour face.

He looked completely unapologetic as he continued, "Morita's stuck in one of the covered trucks, and Phillips told me to give you this." He held out a hat, "Said to tuck your hair into it."

She took the hat and began tucking her ponytail into it, "Nice."

He reached up, "You missed some." And tucked in some wisps of blonde hair that hadn't gotten tucked correctly into the cap.

Diana averted her eyes and then her face, "Danke."

"You know German?" The Sergeant raised an eyebrow.

"I can say a couple greetings, yes and no, and thank you, and count to ten." She answered, looking over at the other soldiers who were getting into jeeps and trucks. Diana glanced back at him, "That's about it. Nothing helpful."

"Well, it's better than nothing if we get stopped. My German's decent enough, but I know I have an accent."

"Just say you're from Austria. They'd have an accent to the Germans." Diana made her way to the truck and stepped up into the cab. This was going to be a long drive with the future Winter Soldier.

The Sergeant slid into the driver's seat next to her with a frown on his face, "You know I was just teasing." He put in the keys to the ignition. Diana crossed her arms across her chest, trying to close herself off to more conversation with the future Winter Soldier. He grimaced, "Don't do that."

"Why not?" She gave him a sideways glance and was surprised to find that his cheeks were tinted slightly pink.

"You're supposed to be acting as a young soldier. I young _male_ soldier." He explained, "And… uh…" He ducked his head, "Please don't take what I'm about to say as inappropriate, so don't slap me or anything…" He trailed off. His grip on the steering wheel tightened and he sighed in frustration, "How should I put this?" He paused as the convoy began to move. The Sergeant then looked straight into her eyes, "Crossing your arms like that highlights your femininity."

Diana immediately uncrossed her arms, "What?"

Barnes' eyes jerked straight forward, his face reddening even more, "I think you can guess at what I'm talking about."

"Oh, you mean my breasts." She kind of enjoyed seeing the poor 1940s man look so embarrassed by her more modern way of speaking.

He cleared his throat, "Yes." His voice even cracked a little.

"Huh. Good point. I'll keep that in mind if we get stopped, Sergeant."

Barnes cleared his throat again and chewed on his lower lip, "Good."

The convoy began to move on their ten hour journey to the next HYDRA base. Sergeant Barnes was fairly talkative, telling her about what the Captain was like before the serum, and about growing up in Brooklyn. He asked her questions about her life too, what her family was like, what her plans were when she got back stateside.

They got to know each other a little through the journey (although Diana's stories were heavily edited), and by the end, Diana was hard pressed to find a reason to keep her distance from the rest of the formerly fictional character. She would keep the formalities, but Diana was starting to think that it wouldn't be possible to find a way home until the War ended, if there was a way home at all.

About three hours in, Barnes had fallen silent, concentrating on the bumpy road. Diana couldn't help it; she was so bored. She began to sing softly to herself a few snippets from road trip songs she knew. Most of them, if not all of them, were definitely from after Barnes' time, so he had never heard them before. After repeating the chorus to a couple of her favorite songs, the Sergeant was able to join in.

She found out that Barnes, once he stopped trying to be suave and flirty, was kind, protective of those he cared about (especially 'that stupid punk' Steve), and reserved in his own way. The way he portrayed himself to the public was very different to how he'd be in a more private or intimate setting. The drive to Czechoslovakia had forced just such a situation for ten hours. Things between Diana Larson and Bucky Barnes could never be the same after this journey.

*FMttM*

Once the SSR arrived in Czechoslovakia, Colonel Phillips informed Diana that she would start her physical training.

"Army Doctor Recruit, on your feet!" Shouted a voice so bright and early that the sun hadn't even come up (although considering it was February, the sun wouldn't come up quite a few hours as Diana would later find out that it was 0300 as the wake-up time).

She scrambled out of her bed and blinked blearily in her night clothes.

The Colonel scoffed, "That was painfully slow. If we were under attacked, you'd be dead. Do better next time."

Diana stood at attention and held a salute, "Yes, sir."

The Colonel paced back and forth in front of her as he spoke, "Today you're going to begin your physical fitness program. As we are preparing for a mission and don't have time to fully acclimate and test you as you would be in boot camp, we've made some adjustments to the regimen." He paused, "We'll start with getting you in shape. In the morning, you will do a run accompanied by any soldiers we have to spare, staying within the perimeter of the scouts. You will return for your breakfast before going into strength exercises – push-ups, sit-ups and the like. That's something, I trust, you can do on your own. There will, of course be a test at the end of the training session." Colonel Phillips looked at Diana, "Is all of that understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hop to, recruit. You have five minutes to get dressed and ready for your morning run." With that, Phillips swept out of the medical house.

Diana rushed to her wardrobe case and threw on one of the few clothing outfits that allowed her to wear pants. There was no way she was running in a skirt and heels during these training runs. She'd rather rip the skirt and kick off the heels when running from an enemy than suffer through looking lady-like while doing grueling activities.

When she finally got outside, she saw Private Morita, Sergeant Dugan, and Sergeant Barnes waiting for her.

"I guess you guy's'll be my escorts?" She looked to each of them.

"Good morning, Miss Larson. Just so you know, we volunteered." Dum Dum told her.

Barnes stretched his arms a bit, "I've been meaning to get out running. Steve can beat me in a race now, so I have to step up my game." His flirty persona had come back as he grinned at her.

"I'm just here to show my support." Morita told her, "I remember what boot camp was like, and it was torture."

"How long's the run today?"

"We're starting with a two mile run." Dum Dum replied, "At your pace. We'll assess it and help you work your way up to acceptable military regulation levels of seven to eight minute miles."

"Oh god…" Diana groaned, "The last time I ran a mile was in high school and I got ten minutes, twenty seconds for that mile." She then hung her head, "I'm gonna die."

"We're only running a mile out and a mile back, doll." Barnes informed her, "It'll make a nice circuit."

She gave the blue-eyed Sergeant a side-ways glare at the 'doll' affectation, but she was starting to get used to the '40s nick names; it was like he was calling her a chick, but doll rolled off the tongue more smoothly.

"Alright, let's get started."

The four of them began at a jog off into the wooded area.

*FMttM*

It took Diana a full week of grueling training, sore muscles, and immense fatigue to actually get her mile run down to eight minutes, and the distance expanded to five miles. As the invasion of the HYDRA base got closer, the Commandos became more busy and so gradually the trio who'd gone on her first run with her dwindled down to zero – Barnes had to leave first, then Dum Dum, then Morita. They were replaced by SSR soldiers hand-picked by each Commando and approved by Phillips, per the Colonel's orders. The Commandos, of course, didn't understand why she needed the protection by only those most trusted in the SSR, but followed their superior officer's orders to the letter.

The sit-ups, push-ups, and other strength training were giving her muscles that she didn't even know she had. It was kind of amazing to look in the mirror and see that she actually had biceps and abs (although not well defined at all, but still!).

In the proper setting, basic training usually lasted only two full weeks, but without the proper facilities and training equipment, as well as the actual mission to sack the HYDRA base nearby, Diana's training would take much longer.

On February 10 she received notice that her physical abilities would be assessed in the next couple days – her run one day, and her strength training the next day. Agent Carter directed them, going on the run with her and timing out her exact time – seven minutes and fifty-two seconds on average for a five mile run. Then after a small bit of breakfast and a reprieve to help Morita stitch some lacerations some of the night scouts returned with, Diana began her strength training test in the afternoon with push-ups, sit-ups, and other exercises. She just barely squeaked by with a pass.

Late that night, the scouts returned with news of the location of the HYDRA base, and the SSR came alive with preparations to invade and destroy the base. It was an arms bunker where the former Nazi Science Division housed many of their firearms and explosives.

Two days later, the Howling Commandos with the SSR as backup invaded the Czechoslovakia HYDRA base. Diana and Agent Carter held down the base of operations with a smaller regiment of SSR soldiers who would be a second wave in case things went very, very wrong.

And things did go wrong. Not horribly, irreversibly wrong, but the firefight between HYDRA and the Commandos with the SSR did not end without injury. The base had gotten word that several SSR soldiers had been mildly wounded, but a Commando had been shot in the gut and needed immediate medical attention as soon as they returned to base. So, Diana prepared the medical house and tools for the injured.

Captain Rogers was the first one to return. He looked fine except for the unconscious person riding piggy-back. The Captain burst into the medical house, wild-eyed, "Help! Please help!" He shouted as he turned and lowered his passenger to one of the hospital pallets. It was Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, the future Winter Soldier.

"Move, aside, Captain," Diana ordered, "please." Diana quickly looked Barnes over, seeing the shrapnel lacerations that had yet to be cleaned, and a dark red splotch in the stomach area of his navy blue coat. She knew that Morita would have dealt with the injury in the field as best he could to try to staunch the bleeding, but he could only do so much with what little equipment he could carry. There were also red smears on the Sergeants left shoulder and leg, but they looked more like grazes; she could worry about them later as the blood was clotting in the cloth, making a makeshift bandage.

"Please, Miss Larson, can you do something?" Captain Rogers was white as a sheet.

"I'll do my best," Diana replied and took scissors from her tray to the wool coat and the linen shirt under it, cutting it from waist to neck. She parted the clothing so she could get a good look at the wound. Without the fabric helping with clotting, the bullet hole oozed wine-dark blood. She sucked in a breath and grabbed some antiseptic, a cloth, and forceps. She hadn't seen an exit wound on Barnes' back, so the bullet was still in there.

"Miss Larson…" The Captain whimpered, "Please save him."

She swallowed, the pressure mounting. Her grip tightened on the forceps and she plunged them into the bullet wound, searching for shrapnel and the bullet itself. She found the former, a lot of it – what exactly had he been shot with? Buckshot?

Barnes was lucky, though. The shot was too low to have hit his stomach lining and too far to the left to have hid the large intestine. The bullet was, however, deep in the muscle tissue when Diana finally found it and dug it out with a horrible squelching, sucking sound. She dropped the bullet on the small pile of shrapnel fragments she'd already taken out and immediately applied the cloth with antiseptic onto the wound.

Her free hand found her already threaded needle, and once she was poised and ready, she took the cloth away from the wound to begin stitching it shut. Diana dabbed at the hole, which would turn into a puckered scar (unless he already had his super soldier healing) when she was finished stitching. Diana added fresh bandages and tape over the wound before she spoke again, "That's the worst of it."

Captain Rogers heaved a sigh of relief, "Thank you."

"I still have to look at his shoulder and leg, so we're not done here yet." Diana took up the scissors again and cut open the sleeve of the jacket and shirt, "Hmmm… Not as bad as I thought." She examined the left bicep near the shoulder, "It'll scar, but I don't think it needs stitches." She cleaned it with the antiseptic and nodded, "No stitches needed." She bandaged the laceration and moved on to the leg.

Diana cut Barnes' trouser leg from his waist to the top of his boot before realizing the footwear should have come off before she began. She glanced up at the Captain and he seemed to understand her request without her even saying anything. He came over and took both boots off of his best friend's feet. She finished removing the clothing and examined the wound. This laceration was deep and would definitely need stitches.

Just as she was about to begin cleaning the final wound, the door to the medical house opened and Morita came in with a few SSR soldiers who looked bloodied up. He surveyed the scene before him, "Good. You took care of it." He gave a nod of approval before he began barking orders at the wounded soldiers, telling them which pallets to take.

Diana continued with her work, cleaning the thigh wound, stitching it up, and bandaging it. When she was done, she rocked back on her feet and wiped her forehead. She looked to the Captain, "He's gonna be alright."

The man relaxed, slouching his shoulders, "Good. I really didn't want this to be the end of the line."

"What happened?" She asked, before quickly adding, "If you don't mind me asking."

"We got ambushed inside the base and a firefight broke out." The Captain replied, "There were more of them than we thought, and they were better armed than we thought." He hung his head, "It's my fault. I should've know."

"Captain Rogers, you couldn't have known." Diana tried to assure him, "You're not psychic. I don't think the serum works like that."

"I almost lost my best friend because of this. I wasn't fast enough."

"Captain Rogers–" Diana paused, "Steve, I doubt Sergeant Barnes – Bucky - would blame you for any of this."

The Captain looked up at her use of their given names, which she had never done until this point. He swallowed and looked down at his prone friend, "Still, I can't help but think…" He trailed off.

"He'll be fine." She assured him.

"Thank you." He nodded at her.

"I should help Private Morita." Diana told the Captain, "You can sit with Sergeant Barnes as long as you like. Or until Morita kicks you out."

Rogers gave her a small smile, "This is more your medical ward than his."

She shrugged, "He's still my Commanding Officer in many ways. I'll come back and check on you once we've dealt with everyone else. There are blankets in that trunk over there." She pointed to a small trunk over by the heater before she made her way to the SSR soldiers that Morita hadn't yet had the chance to help.

Soon the other Commandos came in to check on their comrade. Captain Rogers had to be pulled away from his best friend's side in order to eat and go through the initial debriefing process. Diana was left alone with the man who would one day be one of the most dangerous assassins in the world.

She stared at his slack, pale face and could see in her mind's eye Barnes going into cryofreeze. Her heart clenched because he was real now and he would go through the pain and the torture. Her mind even provided her with his scream from the Chair. Diana shuddered and sat on the right side of his cot. "I wish there was something I could do to stop that from happening," she murmured, "but you'd follow Steve into Hell, even if he protested. Even if I tell you what could happen it wouldn't be enough to make you stop being who you are." Diana reached toward his face and moved aside some of his dark mahogany hair from his clammy forehead, "Damn you Zola. Damn you Soviets. And damn, damn, DAMN you HYDRA!" She snarled.

Diana knew she had to pull an all-night vigil to check Barnes' vitals every few hours, as Morita had taught her with the more severely injured patients. She'd need something with which to occupy herself, and upon a short search of the office, found only one book of fiction: _The Hobbit_ by J.R.R. Tolkien, published in 1937. She smiled, remembering the films, and knew that Barnes might like them in the future.

So, she brought a chair to his bedside and began to read aloud. She did her best to use a British accent and to imitate the actors who played the characters in the future. When she came to Thorin's introduction, she wondered briefly if Richard Armitage would exist in this universe since he had appeared as a HYDRA spy in Brooklyn and killed Abraham Erskine in the _Captain America_ movie. It was a fleeting thought and a curiosity, but not something that mattered right then.

*FMttM*

 _Diana was running in the woods, like she had been for her physical training. She came to a clearing and saw someone standing there, silhouetted in navy blue. She came up next to Sergeant Barnes, "Hey." She greeted._

 _His expression was blank, impassive, "You can't save me."_

 _She turned her gaze to him, "What?" Her eyes wide._

 _Suddenly, Barnes transformed, his hair growing and black grease war paint streaking across his blue eyes, "You can't save me. Winter is coming." He raised his metal fist._

 _The Winter Soldier morphed from his HYDRA uniform into the navy blue jacket he wore during the invasion of Wakanda, both Sergeant Barnes and the Winter Soldier (or maybe even the White Wolf). Then he started to disintegrate into ash at the sound of a gunshot or maybe a snap._

Diana startled awake and realized that the book she'd been reading had fallen to the floor with a thunk, "Stupid fucking book." She grumbled and leaned over to pick it up.

"Language like that shouldn't come from the lips of such a pretty dame." Came a soft voice from the bed.

The blonde jolted up with the book in hand, "You're awake!"

Barnes lay there smiling weakly, "Good morning."

"How long have you been awake?"

"The book woke me up too." He grimaced and shifted under the sheets Morita had put over him during their one of their rounds checking on their only patient.

"Sorry."

"Not your fault. You must've been tired after all the action from last night." He replied, "Bet you were the one to patch me up."

"Yeah." She rubbed her arms and realized that the heater must've burned out. She stood and strode over to the machine and fiddled with it until she felt the warmth radiating from it again, "That's better." Diana mumbled to herself and turned back to see Barnes watching her, "What?"

His gaze dated away and fixated on the far wall, "Thank you… for fixing me. You probably saved my life."

"I'm just doing the job I was assigned to do." She tried to brush off the gratitude as she returned to his bedside, "Now how're you feeling?"

"Been better. Been worse." He dismissed the question, still not looking at her.

"Well thanks for the info," she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Can you vague that up for me?"

The Sergeant's eyebrows went up as his gaze snapped to her, "What?"

Diana raised an eyebrow of her own, "I'm your medic. I'm gonna need a better self-diagnosis than 'meh.'" She imitated his attitude and included a shrug. She leaned over the pallet, "If you're in pain, tell me. On a scale of one to holy fucking shit I'm dying," here Barnes gawked at her, and that caused her to smile at his bewilderment, "how do you feel?"

The Sergeant was silent for a while before he replied, "I feel like I got skewered."

"So you're in pain."

"Yeah. A bit." He finally admitted.

"Alright. I can help with that." Diana strode over to the medical supplies cupboard and took out some morphine. She grimaced as she looked at the bottle, but it was all they had for painkillers in this time period. "It's not my favorite, but it's all we got. Just so you know beforehand, it can be addictive if you take it for too long." She administered the morphine and then as an afterthought, gave Barnes some penicillin as well.

With a groan, the Sergeant relaxed back into his pillows and fell back to sleep.

The door to the medical ward opened and Colonel Phillips stepped in. Diana straightened and saluted, "Sir!" Just as he had drilled into her during her training.

"At ease, Miss Larson. I'm here to see Sergeant Barnes," he told her and his gaze swept over the sleeping young man, "who seems to still be sleeping."

"He was awake a few moments ago, but I gave him some morphine to help the pain in his stomach and some penicillin to fight off any possible infection," she explained. "The morphine probably knocked him out again."

"Understandable." Phillips nodded, "Thank you for saving the Sergeant. I'm sure Captain Rogers would've been inconsolable if anything had happened to him."

"Yes. He would be." Diana confirmed quietly.

"Well," the Colonel cleared his throat as he eye-balled her, knowing that she knew something, but ignoring it for the time being, "since I can't debrief Barnes right now, when do you think he'll be awake again?"

"I'm not sure. I guess it would probably be some time in the afternoon, if not earlier."

"I'll come back then," Phillips acknowledged, "I'll have someone bring you something to eat. Barnes too if he wakes up again and feels well enough to eat."

"Make sure it's something soft and bland, maybe even just soup." Diana told her commanding officer, "Double check with Private Morita and see what he thinks."

"Hmmm… I'll keep that in mind." The Colonel turned toward the door, "I'm sure Captain Rogers will be coming by for a visit, so I'll have him drop off the meal too." Then he exited the medical house.

*FMttM*

Three days after Bucky had been brought in to the medical house, he was moving about the room and regaining his strength. This surprised and concerned Morita, but Diana knew exactly what was going on. Still, Morita asked her to Agent Carter's office to discuss the Sergeant's recovery.

When Diana entered the office, the medic sat in one of the chairs by Agent Carter's desk, and she sat behind it. The blonde frowned as she seated herself next to Morita, "Am I in trouble?"

"Private Morita has brought something to our attention," the SSR Agent spoke first. "Private, go ahead with your explanation."

"A gut shot like the one Sergeant Barnes suffered from should take about ten days to fully heal. It usually takes around five days before the patient can move safely from their bed and the rest is to recover the lost strength of the various muscles affected by the wound." Morita frowned, "Barnes has healed in almost half the time, and I expect it won't be long before he's fully recovered."

"And this is bad because…?" Diana knew exactly what was happening to the Sergeant. Whatever gunk HYDRA had put in his veins had given him some of the super soldier enhancements already.

"It's not bad per se," Morita replied. "However, I've only seen one person with better healing: Captain Rogers." The medic paused a moment to let that fact sink in, "I'm worried that HYDRA did something to Sergeant Barnes during our captivity in Azzano."

"Private Morita brought his worries to me to see if he should alert the Colonel." Agent Carter explained, "I thought it prudent to consult you as his primary nurse as well as ask what you knew about this."

Diana didn't know what to say for a moment. When she spoke, she asked, "Are we going to tell Private Morita about my situation?"

"I have authorization, and I fully trust all of the Howling Commandos." The brunette nodded. "However, it's up to you as to whom should know your origins."

The blonde glanced at the Private who had his brows furrowed. He wasn't a big player in between now and Thanos's invasion of Earth via Loki and the Chitauri. The only contribution she knew about was his grandson as Peter Parker's principal. Diana licked her lips and made a decision, "We can tell him a little just so I can explain what's going on with Sergeant Barnes."

Agent Carter nodded and looked to the Private, "Please know that the information you are about to hear is the most classified intelligence we have."

"I understand, ma'am." Morita nodded.

After a brief explanation and some disbelief on the Private's part which gave way to fascination, Diana was finally able to explain what was going on with the soldier in their care, "In Azzano, HYDRA took Barnes away many times and he usually came back in worse shape, right?"

"Yeah. There were always bruises on one side of his face," Morita motioned around the left eye, "and his right ear frequently bled."

Diana gave a solemn nod, "Arnim Zola has been trying to replicate Abraham Erskine's super soldier formula since it became known of its success. I don't know how he's doing it – probably using Johan Schmidt's blood or something – but he used Barnes as a guinea pig, one of many I suspect."

Morita looked thoughtful, "Before Barnes, HYDRA soldiers would take others away. In the beginning, they would return with similar injuries, but none lasted more than one session." The medic's expression turned to horror, "What were they doing to Bucky?"

"Zola was trying to make another super soldier, but one obedient to HYDRA." The blonde medic explained, "After the serum, a concurrent step was to completely erase the subject's memory and implant various codes in order to control the asset."

Morita became even more horrified, "They were trying to brainwash him!"

Diana nodded, "Yeah. Zola didn't succeed, of course. The only souvenir Sergeant Barnes has is the knock off serum that enhanced some aspects of his own physiology."

"Does Barnes know?" Agent Carter asked.

"I'm sure he suspects, but unless he's confronted about it, he'll do his duty." The blonde replied, "From what I know about the Sergeant, he's very loyal, especially to Steve Rogers. The serum enhances everything, so it stands to reason that it enhanced Barnes's loyalty."

"The Colonel will have to be informed about this."

"I agree." Morita nodded, "If Zola is continuing his human experimentations, we might have a HYDRA super soldier problem someday soon."

"And the Captain?" Agent Carter inquired.

"Captain Rogers cannot know." Diana told them emphatically. At their questioning expressions, she continued, "It's important that he not know. Not yet anyway."

"I don't agree with your decision, but I will respect your future knowledge." The brunette gave a solemn nod, "Do you have anything to add, Private Morita?"

"No ma'am."

"Then the both of you are dismissed."

*FMttM*

Sergeant Barnes was officially discharged two days after Diana's discussion with Morita. Before he left the medical house, Colonel Phillips came by and took Sergeant Barnes just outside the door to speak with him in private.

"What?! You can't do that!" She heard Barnes exclaim with a belatedly added, "Sir."

"Barnes, I'm the Commanding Officer of this operation," Phillips chastised gruffly, "This is a direct order until we move out to our next base of operations."

"Sir, Steve-"

"The Captain can take care of himself." the Colonel said, "If anything happens while we're fighting simple Nazis, which I doubt since they're novices compared to HYDRA, the other Commandos are there."

"Yeah, but-"

"I've given you your orders and your mission, Sergeant Barnes. You're the best man for the job."

The Sergeant gave a defeated sigh, "Yes sir."

"Good. We should break the news to Miss Larson." Colonel Phillips then opened the door to the medical ward and Diana straightened from the menial tasks she'd been doing as she listened in to their not so private conversation, "Miss Larson, as you know, your training is supposed to continue with hand-to-hand combat, but as Sergeant Barnes has recently been put on medical leave, he has the time to train you right now in the various firearms the SSR uses in the field."

"Yes sir." She nodded.

"Good. I'll have someone bring the weapons around for you to examine and learn how to use." Colonel Phillips turned on his heel and strode out the door.

Barnes turned to Diana, "Well, I guess you're gonna be seeing more of this gorgeous face." His smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"You mean your stupid face." She muttered.

"Have you ever shot a gun before?" The Sergeant shoved his hands in his pockets.

"My brother had a BB gun, and my dad had a .22 rifle he used for hunting."

"And you shot them?"

"The BB gun, yes. The .22, no."

"Well, these firearms are nothing like those," Barnes told her.

"Wonderful. I look forward to the bruises."

*FMttM*

The training began in the barracks where Diana had to learn what each type of weapons was called.

"Do you know what any of these are called?" Barnes asked.

"Handguns, rifles, a sniper rifle…" She trailed off at the pinched look on his face. So she picked up one of the handguns, "A Walter PPK?"

The Sergeant put a hand to his face and shook his head, "Walther PPK," he corrected, "and no, that's not what that gun is."

"Oh." She lowered the handgun back to the table, "Is this really important to know? I mean, a gun's a gun. I doubt the name makes any difference in the long run."

Barnes looked horrified, "Of course it makes a difference! Each country has different firearms called by different names," he isaid. "The Nazis use specific weapons like the Mauser and the Sturmgewehr. Knowing the difference could save your life, you know." He picked up the handgun she'd held, "This one's a Colt 1911A1." He went on to name all the other weapons and had her repeat them.

"And I really need to know all this, Sergeant?"

"Yes, you do. And you can call me Bucky during these lessons." He sent her a smile, "I think we've spent enough time together that we could be on a first name basis."

Diana hesitated. First Dum Dum, then Peggy. Those two were fine since they didn't have a gigantic effect on the timeline, but Bucky? If she got too close to one of the major players who knows what could change! She looked at his expectant expression. "I –" After this training, she would have to keep her distance from Captain America and the Winter Soldier for the good of the timeline and the universe. Diana lowered her head in a nod, "Fine. Bucky." She glanced up again to see his brilliant smile, and she sighed, "You're such a stupid face."

His eyebrows went up, although his smile didn't dim, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you have a stupid face."

Barnes – Bucky – laughed, "I'm sure. Now, let's go through the names of the armaments again."

After a while, Diana could remember the names of all the firearms when Bucky brought them out at random. Once she had the Sergeant's approval, they were able to move on to the next lesson – care and nomenclature for the various weapons. Once they had gone over the basics for that, Diana would be able to choose her firearm of choice to use if she ever went on a mission. Bucky advised a simple sidearm, a handgun, as many of the other guns would require a lot more training to carry and handle correctly.

The Sergeant instructed her on the care and nomenclature of the various required firearms. These lessons took the rest of the day. Captain Rogers and some of the other Howling Commandos would visit and give their own input on her progress or remind them that, yes, they should eat lunch and supper. By the end of the day, Diana felt like her arms would fall off from handling the heavier guns for so long and that her brain had turned to mush with all of the new information Barnes – Bucky – had taught her repeatedly.

The next day he tested her on all the firearms until he was pleased with the results. It was only after she had completed his test that she could choose the various firearms she could shoot at a range the SSR had set up for target practice. The Sergeant brought along various side arms, including the Colt and an M1917 Revolver. He also took a few rifles, like the Browning Automatic Rifle and the .30 Caliber M1 Rifle.

They stopped at the firing range and Diana couldn't help but snicker at the targets. Major HYDRA operatives whose faces Steve had apparently sketched were attached to the large crates that served as targets. The normal target circles covered parts of the face, but Diana could tell that both Schmidt and Zola were there; the others she didn't recognize.

She looked over at Bucky who smirked, "The guys are more motivated to aim better if we have someone we hate to look at."

"Zola." She stood right in front of his smug face.

The Sergeant gave an approving nod, "Alright. Which would you like to shoot first?"

Diana started out with the rifles since she had more strength in the beginning than she would at the end of the lesson.

"You said you've shot a .22 rifle before." Bucky picked up the Browning Automatic Rifle, "This is a little different. For one, it's most likely double the weight of your .22." He tossed her the Browning.

"Woah!" She exclaimed, almost dropping it.

"Heavier than it looks, isn't it?" The Sergeant grinned.

"I'll say!" She hefted the nearly sixteen pound firearm.

"It's the lightest one we had on hand, the M1918."

"Damn. I don't want to know how heavy the guns are that you guys use."

"I use an M1903A1 Springfield with a scope or a semi-automatic M1941 Johnson rifle." The sniper informed her, "It's not that bad for weight, not like this Browning."

"I think I'll pass on the Browning as my rifle of choice."

"Fair enough." Bucky nodded, "You should still try to shoot it so you know the feel if you're ever in need."

"I can't promise I'll actually hit the target." She hefted the gun and aimed, closing one eye.

"No," the Sergeant forced her gun down. "Keep both eyes open when you shoot. Look first at the end of the barrel and then to your target. Try again."

Diana raised the gun again and looked down the barrel. She felt her eyes crossing at that point until she started to focus on the sketched face of Zola. She grit her teeth.

"When you're ready, breathe in and squeeze the trigger as you breathe out." Bucky instructed, "There will be a recoil, so try to stay relaxed as best you can."

Diana took a few deep breaths, trying to relax her stance. Zola's smug face – Steve had captured him perfectly even though he'd seen the man only once when saving Bucky – pissed her off. Two more breaths and she pulled the trigger. The recoil from the shot jammed into her shoulder hard, and she really wasn't ready for the force. It sent her stumbling backwards into Bucky. He'd obviously been ready for this, expecting it.

"You okay?" He rested his hands gently on her shoulders.

She grimaced and grumbled, 'That fucking hurt."

"Woah, there, doll!" Bucky sounded surprised, "Where'd you learn to talk like that?"

Diana paused to think, "I probably overheard my parents or older brother swearing."

"Tsk, tsk." The Sergeant tried to look disappointed, but the spark in his eyes easily showed how he was teasing, "A pretty dame like you shouldn't talk like that."

She flushed at his compliment, stuttering for a moment before replying, "This dame will talk however she pleases. Dammit."

Bucky guffawed, "You know what? You're different, and I like that. I can see why you and Agent Carter get on so well."

Diana put down the Browning, "I won't be using that thing for anything other than a club, I think."

"It does have its uses." The Sergeant took up another rifle. "What's this rifle called?"

"The .30 Caliber M1 Rifle." Diana answered, recognizing the firearm.

"Right. It's lighter than the Browning. I think you'll like it better."

The blonde hefted the rifle and discovered it was much lighter than the Browning. She raised it before the target and, keeping both eyes open, breathed in and fired. There was still a harsh recoil, but Diana was prepared for it this time and only her shoulder jerked backward.

Bucky nodded his approval, "That's a decent shot – right in the chin."

"I was aiming for his nose."

The sniper gave another nod, "Want to reload and try again?"

"Yeah." Diana aimed at Zola for a second time. This is for Bucky. She thought as she pulled the trigger.

"Oooo." Came the Sergeant's comment, "You got him right in the eye socket."

Diana nodded, "Still aiming for his nose."

"You're not a terrible shot. Needs a bit of polishing, but pretty good for a civilian." He smiled at her, "Want to take another shot?"

"Yeah, I want to get his nose this time!"

Bucky laughed as she hefted the rifle again. Then he stepped up behind her, "Here, let me help you." He shifted the butt of the gun into the crook her shoulder so that no part of the firearm would hit bone, "Now move your hands here," he moved one of her hands up the barrel so that her elbow was bent, "and here." He moved her other hand just a little and started adjusting her fingers, "Don't hold it stiffly. Keep your fingers relaxed, especially your trigger finger. Some of these rifles have hair triggers, and you don't want it going off before you're ready."

"Okay." Diana's face was flushed again as she could feel the heat radiating from the Sergeant as he stood close behind her.

He didn't move back as he spoke softly, "Now breathe, and focus. There is only the target." Her heartbeat quickened, "There's only the mission." She nearly choked as the Winter Soldier part of him showed through. "Keep your eyes on the target and breathe in." He waited for her to follow his instruction. As soon as she did, he spoke again, "And tap the trigger on the exhale."

BANG! Right through the nose.

Bucky took a step back with a smile on his face, "That's great! You got it."

Diana looked at him and her mind again flashed to the contrastingly solemn Winter Soldier. She shook herself and managed a small smile, "Yeah. I got it."

"Ready for the side arms? They should be easier on the shoulders."

"Let's do it." She picked up one of the handguns, "Colt M1911A1."

He nodded his approval, "Steve – Captain Rogers – and I prefer this gun as our side arm."

Diana nodded her understanding and pointed the Colt at Zola's holey face.

"Bend your elbow a little," Bucky told her, "Otherwise the recoil will jam your it like the rifle did for your shoulder."

"Okay." She adjusted her grip and bent her elbow as the Sergeant had instructed. After a short pause, she shot the gun. Her arm jerked and threw off her aim. The bullet hit Zola's ear.

"Not bad for a first shot. Want to try a different one?" The sniper asked.

Diana put down the Colt M1911A1 and picked up what looked like a revolver, "Also a Colt. I can't remember the type."

"A Colt M1917 Revolver. Dum Dum favors that gun."

She turned the gun over in her hands. It looked more like the Colt Sam and Dean Winchester used to kill demons than a gun that would be used in World War II. She took a shot with this Colt and hit Zola's cheek. She set the gun aside and picked up the Colt 1898 Revolver.

"I'm starting to think you like Colts." The sniper smirked.

Diana gave a smile and looked down at the Revolver, "Well, there's a story I like where two brothers hunt evil creatures with a Colt Revolver. It was one of my favorites."

"Then give that one a try if you have your heart set on a Colt."

She took aim and shot. The bullet went right into Zola's forehead, just over his left eye. Diana lowered the gun, "Serves you right." She turned to Bucky, "This one."

"You sure? You got pretty good results from the 1911 too."

"I don't know. I just like the revolvers better. The 1898 one in particular."

Bucky nodded and took a closer look at the gun, "She is beautiful." He murmured and then looked up at her through his lashes.

"You're a stupid-face." Diana looked away as she blushed.

He straightened, "Keep the gun. We'll get you a holster when we arrive in London in a tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!"

"Yeah. Didn't anyone tell you?"

"Must've slipped their minds."

"Well, we're going to London. We got some intelligence that HYDRA has a file that could turn the tide of the War. The London-based are supposed to hand it off sometime next month."

"I better go start packing."

"You should empty your revolver and clean it. It'll be your last test."

Diana emptied the 1898 Colt Revolver of its five unused cartridges and began to clean the gun. When she finished, she showed the Sergeant her work. "So, Sarge, did I pass?"

He examined her work, his fingers gently brushing over each part of the firearm. "Good job." The Sergeant handed the Colt back to her.

"Am I dismissed, sir?"

Bucky rolled his eyes, "Yes. You're dismissed. And never call me 'sir' ever again."

She had only made it a few paces after he said 'dismissed' and she turned to smirk at him, "Noted."

*FMttM*

As she was packing her few belongings in her quarters, Colonel Phillips entered the medical house, "Miss Larson, I need to speak with you." He said from the examination room.

Diana immediately came out of her quarters and stood at attention, "Sir, what can I do for you?"

"Because of your predicament, we have had to forge your papers to make you an acceptable member of the United States Army," the Colonel informed her. She had answered various questions about her past during the military knowledge section of her basic training. "While we're in London, your position as secondary medic will be made obsolete as there are many hospitals in the city. However, I have used our paperwork to procure you a position at one of the hospitals where you can further improve your skills as a nurse."

"Yes sir. Thank you sir." She answered.

"Our technology consultant Howard Stark will also be with us in London and I would appreciate it if you spoke with him."

"I don't think it's a good idea for him to know about my situation, sir."

"And why's that?"

"He's important."

The Colonel gave her a hard look, "And I suppose you can't tell me why."

"I'm sorry, sir. I can't."

"Mr. Stark has been a great asset to the SSR. If you can give him any information about tech from your time that might be very helpful in the long run."

"I'm not gonna take away the ideas of other people. They deserve the recognition for their innovation. I won't use my knowledge to ruin people," she had tensed and belatedly added, "sir."

The corner of Phillips's mouth twitched, "You sound like the Captain."

"I don't know about that, but sir, I can't tell anyone much about the future because it might have already changed from what I know."

"Then it wouldn't hurt to at least talk to him."

"I-"

"Miss Larson, I wouldn't ask if this wasn't important. Tell Stark what you can. There must be something you can tell him."

"Yeah… I guess…" She frowned.

"Now, I would like you to look through your file and make any corrections you deem necessary. Then make sure you're ready to move out early tomorrow morning."

"Yes sir." She saluted again and the Colonel handed her the file, "Thank you sir."

"One last thing." He fished in his pocket and brought out a silver ball chain with a tags attached to it, "These are your dog tags. Never take them off when we're out in the field like this."

Diana's eyes went wide, "How did you get these, sir?"

"We have some very talented people in the SSR." He replied evasively, holding out the dog tags to her.

She took them and placed them around her neck, "Thank you sir."

He gave a nod, "I will see you very early tomorrow morning," and left the medical tent.

Diana sat down and opened the file. There was a black and white candid picture of her in uniform. It gave her full name, a date of birth that reflected her age, place of birth, her parents' names – marked as deceased – and her siblings without names. There were several other pieces of information, such as Blood Type, that hadn't been asked on the initial questionnaire, and she filled in those blanks.

She returned to packing and made sure the file was in a safe place in her suitcase. It was the only identification she had in this universe.

*FMttM*

In the middle of the night, Diana awoke to a strange noise and then a knock on her door. She had fallen asleep in her clothes, and so smoothed out her skirt and blouse before making her way to the door with quick steps.

"Yes?" The blonde answered.

It was Morita, "Are you all packed?"

"I am, but –"

"Mr. Stark is here to bring part of the SSR and all of the Commandos to London." He explained.

"What about the rest of the SSR?" Diana asked, confused.

"There were apparently some HYDRA soldiers who escaped the destruction of the base. The Colonel has ordered them captured and interrogated before they are brought in for war crimes." Morita replied.

"Okay, that makes sense, but how exactly did this Mr. Stark get an airplane deep into enemy territory?"

"Mr. Stark speaks perfect German," Morita replied. "I can only guess what he said or did to make sure he could pass through."

She nodded, "Let me get my bags."

Moments later, the Commandos, a few SSR soldiers, and Agent Carter strapped into the large airplane. Colonel Phillips had apparently gone up into the cockpit to co-pilot with Mr. Stark.

"Well," Diana looked around at the assembled group, "this is exciting."

"You ever been in a plane before, Miss Larson?" Major Falsworth asked.

She paused, barely remembering that air travel wasn't common in this time period, so she answered, "A few times. Why?"

The Brit hummed, "You seem well at ease. Unlike Barnes here."

The Sergeant grit his teeth and crossed his arms, "We're in a loud metal tube with wings flying over enemy territory, smashed together like fish in a barrel."

"What about that flying car we saw at the Expo?" Steve asked, "I know you liked that."

"It's the technology, Steve." Barnes shot back, "That's what's impressive. This thing? It looks like it could fall apart any second!"

"I'm sure we can trust Mr. Stark to get us to London safely," The Captain tried to reassure his best friend.

"The flight is only two hours." Sergeant Dugan pointed out, "Once we're out over open water, we're home free."

"Won't London be worried that we're an enemy aircraft?" Diana asked.

"They know we're coming," Dum Dum replied.

"Oh, well, that's good."

The group fell into silence for a few moments. Diana craned her neck to look out the nearest window, but it was still night. Every city, town, and village was on blackout to avoid air raid bombings.

"Miss Larson, how did your training go?" Major Falsworth asked.

"I think it went okay. You'd have to ask Agent Carter and Sergeant Barnes for the full report. I might not be a very good judge on my skill." The blonde answered.

The brunette woman spoke, "Miss Larson did well in her basic training. She passed the bar with fairly good results. We have set up medical training at one of the local hospitals while we are in London."

"That's good." Private Morita nodded and looked at Diana, "I'll be too focused on gathering intel to mentor you more. Plus, I only went through enough medical training to go out into the field. I'm by no means a skilled surgeon or anything like that. The hospital should help you there."

There was a bit of turbulence and everyone went tense. After a few moments of the plane rocking and bouncing, the flight smoothed out.

Barnes puffed out a breath and he started mumbling.

"What's that you're singing, Buck? I don't recognize it," Steve asked.

"It's a song Diana taught me." He replied, "I don't know what it's called." The Sergeant looked to Diana.

"Err..." The blonde froze as the Commandos' gazes turned to her, "I couldn't hear him from over here, so I don't know what he was singing."

The Sergeant straightened, glad for the distraction from the flight, "I only really remember the chorus," and sang louder for all the Commandos to hear. As he repeated the lyrics, the more musically inclined – Dum Dum and Gabe Jones – joined in, liking the song.

After a few rousing rounds of that chorus, where even Steve had to join in, one of the Commandos asked, "What are the rest of the lyrics?" Major Falsworth wondered.

"What? You –" Diana gawked, "You want me to sing the rest of the song?" There were several nods. She gulped, "Alone?"

"No one else really knows them. Not even me, doll." Barnes told her.

"Oh. Umm…" She wrung her hands a little. Diana cleared her throat and began to sing the song from the beginning. After the first chorus, she had closed her eyes and thought not only of the Howling Commandos, but also the Avengers who could also fit the lyrics of the song.

When she got to the final chorus, Barnes sang with her and after the first few words, the rest of the Commandos joined in.

"Where'd you learn that song?" Dum Dum asked, "I've never heard anything like it?"

"Oh, well," Diana fumbled with her explanation. It was a song that had been created after their time, and she couldn't just tell them that. Some of them would find out about it eventually, "it's not actually that popular a song." She told them, although that would not be true when the song actually came out.

"It should be." Sergeant Dugan told her.

She gave him a smile and squeezed her hands together before glancing at Agent Carter, who had been amused by the Commando concert, and Captain Rogers.

"She taught me a lot of songs while we were driving." Barnes said.

"Oh yeah? What's another one?" Dum Dum asked.

Bucky started going through the various songs he could remember, mostly the catchy choruses. He got a few lyrics wrong, but he remembered the majority of the songs. The Commando concert in the sky continued as Sergeant Barnes taught the rest of the guys the travel songs.

"What in the blazes is going on back here?" Colonel Phillips came out of the cockpit.

"We're singing, sir." Sergeant Dugan told his commanding officer, "It helps pass the time."

"Sounds like a lot of caterwauling to me."

"The voices must be distorted by the sound of the engines, sir." Agent Carter told him, "They didn't sound too bad."

"Hmph. We'll be landing in fifteen minutes." The Colonel eyeballed them all and returned to the cockpit.

"Anyone other than Agent Carter been to London before?" Diana asked.

There was a chorus of no's among the Commandos. As the plane began to descend, anyone who could see out a window looked down on the city below. It was difficult to see due to the blackout requirements, but some things were visible silhouettes – like the London Bridge and Big Ben against the skyline. There was, of course, no Millennium Bridge and no London Eye. Those landmarks would have to wait fifty some years.

Diana wondered if she would have time to search for the London Sanctum that led to Kamar Taj. It might just be her ticket home and out of World War II before she accidentally changed the course of the Marvel timeline.


	3. London, England: Speak of the Devil

**Here's an interlude that takes place during the Captain America portion of the comic _The Avengers: The Avengers Initiative_ , which you can actually find on Youtube. Also, I've added two temporary characters for this arc, one of whom is important to another Marvel character (that one will be obvious) and one who was an actual person from WWII whose work was so classified that he refused to talk about it with anyone. The first will be easy to identify, but see if you can do the same for the second character.**

*FMttM*

Upon arriving in the capital city of England, Diana realized that it was nothing like the pictures she'd seen. The London Eye was obviously missing, as was the Millennium Bridge, another obvious missing landmark. It was actually mildly disappointing, but seeing the Parliament Buildings and Big Ben drove home that she was, in fact, in London, England.

However, Diana was not in England to play tourist. Colonel Phillips had called for her just before docking with a proposal.

"One of the army hospitals is in dire need of personnel." He informed her, handing her a long telegram from the hospital asking for help, "They know you're relatively inexperienced, but they need a nurse to take care of the soldiers in need of… the doctors called it physical and psychological therapy. They can't spare their own staff considering they have wounded men coming in near daily. Would you like to get some experience shadowing the professionals all the while helping get our men back on their feet?"

Diana read the telegram for herself, already knowing that she'd probably take the offer. She looked up at the Colonel, "I'll be returning to the SSR afterwards, right?"

"Of course. You're our responsibility. There could be HYDRA agents anywhere, and they'd force the future out of you, if you know what I mean."

She grimaced, "Yeah, I can guess what they'd do." The telegram was straightforward. It would give her the experience she needed to be of real help to the SSR, "I'll do it, sir. I'd be glad to do it."

The Colonel nodded, "I'll send out a message confirming your acceptance." Phillips gave her a half smile as he left the room.

The hospital was a zoo. There were more people in this one building than she had seen since January. All of them were rushing around, some shouting orders, others obeying. It wasn't chaos, no, it was clearly quite organized, but it took a bit for them to notice her standing in the hall to be acknowledged and told where to go.

Diana had been watching the action for a good ten minutes before a doctor saw her and came over, "You must be the nurse from the SSR. Miss Diana Larson, yes?"

"Yes, sir."

"Oh, you don't have to call me 'sir'. Everyone calls me Dr. Peter." He swept back his floppy brown hair before sticking out his hand, "Doctor Peter Hawthorne at your service." She eyed the hair since it definitely wasn't military regulation. The doctor noticed and smile in a friendly manner, "Here we don't have to follow military protocol. We have our own procedures and regulations to follow to make sure everything goes smoothly. Now, please follow me. I'll lead you to your recovery ward." He spoke quickly as he led her down the hall, "Once you've deposited your belongings, we can introduce you to the men you'll be looking after." He paused, "We have several recovery wards, of course, however one of our nurses has taken ill and had to be quarantined from the hospital for the time being. You are the perfect substitute as we expect her to make a full recovery in a month or so."

They arrived at a nice mahogany door. "Your division is stationed close by so if we need you during the night, we'll just call. Come on. Let's go meet your patients." Doctor Peter stepped through the threshold and back out into the hallway. He motioned for her to push it open, "And here we have Recovery Room Number 4." He opened the door and led her through, "I treated these soldiers and give them physical therapy."

"Hey Doctor Peter!" An English voice called out, "Been causing any trouble lately?" He teased.

"Mr. Danes, I am seriously offended." Doctor Peter put a hand over his heart, "I would never cause trouble."

"Not on purpose anyway," There was a soft American accent.

Diana blinked in the sunlight that streamed through the windows on the opposite wall and saw a few men spread throughout the room. Some sat at tables. Others lay in their beds. Some stood by walls with their hand out to steady them.

"Who's the new lassie?" A Scottish accent.

Doctor Peter beamed, "This, gentlemen, is Miss Diana Larson. She will be substituting for Miss Kensington while she is out sick. Why don't you lads come introduce yourselves?"

Diana turned to the doctor, "I'd like to get to know them myself. Since you are probably busy, could you come back in, say, half an hour and we can continue the tour?"

"Hmmm… I suppose that could work. Yes, I will attend to some of my duties and return in about half an hour." Doctor Peter looked to the recovering soldiers, "Play nice gentlemen." He then exited.

"Well, he's sure friendly." Diana commented with a small, amused smile, "Don't get a lot of that out in the field."

"Which division are you from?" The American, a brunet with brown eyes asked.

"What's your name?" She asked in return.

He gave a small smile, "Private Luke Murdock out of New York."

Diana returned the smile, "There are two New Yorkers in my division - both from Brooklyn, actually."

"Hell's Kitchen. Born and raised." His pride in his city was evident in his voice.

A ping went off in Diana's head, and she examined the Private. He blushed a little - he was pretty young, maybe not even twenty. Still, it was the name - Murdock - that reminded her that she was in the Marvel Universe and that it was very possible that she'd run into other people who were related to superheroes. Cautiously, she held out her hand for him to shake, "Nice to meet you Mr. Murdock. And as to your questions, I'm a part of the SSR." Diana turned to the rest of the men, "What about you?" She pointed to a dark-haired man with equally dark eyes sitting straight-backed and all alone.

"Lee." He replied in a deep, cultured English accent as he stood from his chair. Good god he was tall, "That's all you need to know." He limped toward a window and stared out with a displeased expression.

"Okay… Is he always like that?" Diana asked the others, jesting a little to mask the uncomfortable feeling that came with the exchange. That Lee guy was dangerous; she could tell just by how he moved. He reminded her of how Sebastian Stan had portrayed the Winter Soldier before getting his memories back. Briefly she wondered if the man was HYDRA, but decided to give Lee the benefit of the doubt

Murdock spoke again, "Lee's always been the secretive one of the bunch. Comes with his role in the war, I guess. Whenever we ask him a question, he always answers," here he deepened his voice to imitate Lee's, "'Can you keep a secret?' Well of course we keep secrets! Then he'd answer, 'So can I.' and go back to that window he's at right now."

"Either that or he'd say, 'It's classified.'" Another soldier with an American accent spoke. This one was blonde and gray eyes. "Henry Drake from Washington State. Nice to meet you, Miss Larson."

The first Englishman - Mr. Danes - gave his first name of George. The Scot was Jamie Fergus MacLeod. There were several others: three more Americans - Paul Thompson, Harry Messer, and David Tolonen - and two more Englishmen - Thomas Worthington and Arthur Goddard.

The soldiers got along well with each other and were friendly enough, telling her of their most recent happenings in London. There was nothing too deep, nothing about what landed them in the hospital and nothing about the war. She supposed she would have to spend the time she had here earning their trust. First thing's first, she'd have to examine each soldier's medical records and hope that not too much was redacted from Lee's records considering he was so verbally secretive.

Doctor Peter returned within the half hour to see everyone (except the solitary Lee) chatting in a circle of chairs that they had set up. The doctor smiled brightly, "Well, it seems everyone is getting along swimmingly. However, I must steal Miss Larson to complete our tour."

The men bid their farewells as Diana left. She knew that she would probably have a good time with these guys, getting to know them and helping them recover from their war scars both inside and out. She wasn't sure how much she could do in the unknown allotted time, but she would do her best with whatever time she was given.

*FMttM*

Toward the end of the day, Diana looked through the files for each of the men she would be taking care of for the next undetermined amount of time. She knew that she would concentrate on two of them: Luke Murdock (because of his possible relation to Matt Murdock) and Lee.

The former had been rescued from an enemy facility of the Nazi Science division. Diana knew exactly what that meant: Luke Murdock had been captured by and rescued from a HYDRA facility. She wondered what they had done to him. Had the experimented on him like they had on Bucky? If Luke Murdock was related to Matt Murdock, was this why, instead of just becoming blind, Matt had gotten superpowers? She looked at Luke Murdock's injuries: he had come into the hospital with a fractured spine that had prevented him from walking for several weeks, quite a few broken ribs from a mortar blast, and was temporarily unable to see due to a specialized flash-bang grenade. He was, however, nearly rehabilitated… physically and ready to return to his division. However, Murdock still had night terrors and refused to talk to anyone about them.

Diana considered asking Bucky or one of the other Commandos to come talk to him since they'd been through a similar experience, but it really depended on how macho they wanted to be; talking about their feelings and admitting weakness, especially to other men, was not something these guys probably did well during wartime.

Sighing, she turned to Lee's folder. Unsurprisingly, much of the information was redacted in black ink, including his first name. Diana could only see his birthdate, height and weight, and his injuries - multiple breaks in his right leg, gunshot to the other leg, stab wound that almost nicked a kidney, fractured ribs and fingers, head contusions, and a multitude of other injuries. Lee should have been dead; he had been in a coma for a little over a week, and after a little physical therapy, he had improved quickly. He was soon going to be ready for release back to his very classified job. Lee was practically James Bond! Who didn't exist yet.

The other guys had similar injuries to Murdock without the link to HYDRA, and would simply need a bit of physical therapy before release. Why were those two the worst off of the soldiers she had to care for?

Diana gathered the files, determined to read them in more detail, memorize them if she had to, and see what the best course of action would be to help these men get back to where they wanted to be.

*FMttM*

Diana had returned to the SSR headquarters to quiet discussions among the soldiers, "Hey, any idea where Agent Carter is?" She asked. The soldiers stopped and stared like they hadn't seen a woman before. Diana had been with these guys for almost three months! Why were they goggling at her now? "Uh… hi? I'm looking for Agent Carter. Would someone, anyone, be able to help me find her?"

"She's off base right now." One soldier told her. It broke the tension and many of the men returned to their duties.

"What about Colonel Phillips? Captain Rogers? Sergeant Barnes? Any of the Howling Commandos?" Diana persisted. She wanted to talk with someone about her patients.

"Miss Larson," Colonel Phillips strode in from another room and the soldiers in the vicinity immediately stood at attention. Steve and the Commandos were behind him, "What do you need? How was your first day at the hospital?"

"Not too bad. I got some interesting guys to look after. Two of which might be a candidate for the SSR - well, I say two, but I'm pretty sure one of them is taken by MI6 or something."

The Colonel looked thoughtful, "Follow me to my office. We'll discuss it there. Commandos, dismissed."

"Actually, I'd like Sergeant Barnes or one of the other Commandos from Azzano to listen in. They might be able to help me with one of the guys."

The Colonel looked to the Commandos, "I suppose we could spare one. Sergeant, you up for the task?"

"Yeah. Sure." Bucky nodded, "I'll catch up with the guys later."

Diana and Bucky followed the Colonel back down the hall to a spartan office. Phillips sat in his chair and indicated to other seats, "So, Nurse Larson, what have you got for me?"

"Well, the first is Luke Murdock." She told him before she paused. Diana knew that the secondary experimentation subject might be of interest to the SSR. It was the only reason she considered speaking to the Colonel and Bucky, "I know it's probably against doctor-patient confidentiality, but I wanted to let you know that Zola hasn't stopped experimenting on people." She hesitated, "Does Sergeant Barnes know of my origins?"

Bucky arched an interested eyebrow, indicating that he had no idea. Phillips leaned forward, steepling his fingers, "Would you like to tell him? Agent Carter and Captain Rogers already know because it is classified and need to know. It really depends on how much you trust Sergeant Barnes."

Diana considered. Bucky would be captured and tortured by Soviets and then by HYDRA - or Soviet HYDRA or whatever - someday soon. Would they torture him for information? Would they even think to look for someone like her? It didn't seem very possible. She decided to take a leap of faith, "I see no reason not to trust Sergeant Barnes."

"Very well." The Colonel's attention turned to Bucky, who stood at attention under the scrutiny and importance contained in his superior's voice and stare, "Sergeant, you've been allowed into a very exclusive circle of people in the know of Nurse Larson's origins." Colonel Phillips looked up at Bucky who had decided to stay standing, "Our esteemed nurse is not only from the future, but also from another universe where our lives, our stories, are fiction."

Bucky gave a look of disbelief, "That seems a bit…"

"Out there? Mad? Crazy?" Diana asked.

"Well, yeah, but after everything we've seen with HYDRA, an interdimensional time traveler from the future may not be too far off the weird scale."

She smiled, "HYDRA's messing with powers it doesn't understand, and they'll attract the attention of the old gods at the least and a Mad Titan with his armies of death at the worst."

"Old gods?" Bucky frowned, "I'd heard murmurings among the HYDRA soldiers about Norse myths. Is that what you're talking about?"

"Thor, Odin, and Loki are far from myths. They're just from another planet - aliens if you will."

"So, like War of the Worlds?" Bucky asked, "I listened to the broadcast with Steve. I didn't think aliens were real, though, or that they'd already been on Earth."

"We don't have too much to worry about when it comes to Odin. Thor's a bit… brusque and impulsive, but more of a hero than anything else. It's Loki we have to watch out for. He's a sly serpentine silver tongue with magic."

Phillips looked a bit worried, "This is the first time you've divulged future information, Nurse Larson. This must be very serious."

Diana gave a slight nod, "We don't have to worry about them for a while. Not until after the turn of the 21st Century. That's when everything changes."

"I only have one question." Bucky said.

"I can't tell you anything personal, Sergeant Barnes." Diana informed him.

He looked a bit disappointed, "The war," Bucky tentatively asked, "will it end?"

"All wars end, Sergeant Barnes. Although some just evolve and change into different battles because humans are humans and hate and fear will continue as long as humans exist."

After a pause, Colonel Phillips spoke, "Sergeant Barnes, what you've just learned is the most classified information we have. If HYDRA were to find her, they would squeeze as much information from her about the future as they could and use it to win this war and all wars in the future."

"I understand sir." Bucky acknowledged.

"Now that we have that out of the way," the Colonel brought them back to the topic at hand, "This soldier, what was his name again?"

"Private Luke Murdock."

"Hmmm... " Phillips frowned, "You implied that Zola had been experimenting on people again, on this soldier."

"Well, I'm not entirely sure, but his file had similarities to some of the Howling Commandos, specifically Sergeant Barnes, so I'm glad he's here." She handed Murdock's file to the Colonel.

The Colonel perused the file with a frown, "I can see the similarities to the state in which we found Sergeant Barnes and the others." He handed the file to Bucky, "What do you think, Sergeant?"

After a few seconds of scanning, he nodded solemnly, "This guy was in a HYDRA facility. Some of his injuries have the earmarks of the scientists and Zola." He said the HYDRA scientist's name through gritted teeth and handed the file back to Diana.

"What would you have us do, Nurse Larson?" The Colonel asked.

"Mr. Murdock suffers from night terrors. As you saw in his file, he has previously refused to speak of them in detail, and I haven't been provided with any notes from sessions the last nurse and doctors have held, if any." She told them. "I'd like advice on how to proceed. It's a bit difficult to ask a man, a soldier, to share his fears and his emotions with a stranger, much less a woman."

Phillips leaned back in his chair, "As I don't know the man, I can't give you much advice on that front. Although I sense that he's important or you wouldn't have brought him to my attention."

"He could be." She admitted, "There are lots of people with the last name of Murdock, but taking into account that he's from Hell's Kitchen… Well, it just cements the idea that his potential grandson could be very important in the future. There's a saying about the Murdock men: 'Be careful of the Murdock boys. They got the devil in them.' This could be the origin of that saying thanks to HYDRA's experimentation."

"You might have to give him something of your own to gain his trust." Bucky suggested, "A memory or one of your own fears in exchange for one of his."

Diana nodded, "Okay, I'll try that. That's actually a decent idea, although it'll take some tweaking from my time."

"You've told the Commandos stories. How much tweaking did you have to do?" The Sergeant asked.

"Sometimes very little, sometimes a lot. It depended on the story because there could be words and terms you wouldn't understand."

"Understandable. Still, I think if you shared something from your life, he'd be more open to sharing."

Diana nodded, "Okay. Thanks for the input. I'm gonna go to my quarters and make some notes on the other files."

"Sergeant Barnes will escort you." The Colonel told her, "Dismissed."

Diana and Bucky exited the office and he held out his arm, "Miss Larson." He gave her a smile.

She rolled her eyes and took his arm, "Alright, fine."

"I know you can't talk much about… all that," Bucky started quietly, "but I think it's pretty swell that you're from, you know. It's like H.G. Wells coming off the pages."

Diana smiled at his acceptance, "I'm just trying to do my part and adjust to this place."

"Culture shock?"

"A little. Everything's happened so fast, I don't think I've really had time to reflect and deal. Not entirely anyway."

Bucky nodded and glanced at her compassionately, "Steve mentioned something from the first month you were here."

"Yeah, he saw me have a bit of a breakdown." Diana admitted.

"If you ever want to talk, we're all here for you."

"That's what Steve said."

The Sergeant smiled a little, "Well, we are. Now that both Steve and I know about everything, you can talk to us and tell us about, well, anything. If you want."

Diana squeezed his arm, "Thanks Bucky."

"You're welcome, sweetheart." He came to a stop, "And this is you."

She released her hold on the Sergeant's arm, "Thanks for the escort."

"No problem." Bucky gave a lopsided smile.

"I'm glad you think it's cool about my past. Some people would freak out."

"Well, I've seen some pretty strange things. Steve for one." He joked, "It does explain a lot of stuff you've said in your stories. I mean, the Depression hit most people pretty hard, and you don't seem like an uppity rich girl."

"Uppity rich girl? Thanks very much, Barnes." She couldn't help but smile humorously.

He broke out into a grin as well, "You're too nice to be that type of girl, dollface." She made a face at that nickname which just made his grin widen, "You're too pretty to be that type of girl too."

Diana blushed at that compliment and knew she had to escape the flirty ladies' man. "You're such a stupid-face." How to defuse this situation? She glanced at her door. With her heart thumping in her chest, Diana put her hand on the door knob, "Could you send someone to get me for supper? I might be engrossed in the files and forget."

Something glinted in his cerulean eyes before he took a step back, straightening, "I can do that."

"Thanks. I'll see you at supper, Sergeant Barnes." Distance… Get some distance from the attractive, flirty soldier.

He disappointed look flitted across his face before he nodded, "Yeah. I'll see you, Nurse Larson." Bucky turned on his heel and strode away.

Diana turned around, her heart still pounding, and entered her quarters. Upon closing the door, she leaned against it, letting out a puffed sigh, "This is absolutely crazy. I'm getting too close." She muttered to herself. Diana's hands curled into fists, "This has gotta stop. I'm relying too much on important people, and I shouldn't… I can't. It'll hurt, but I just can't change the timeline. I won't. They're too important to the Infinity War to change what HYDRA will do… Oh god… I have to let it happen… I have to… I've got to..." She shuddered and bowed her head over the files, "I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry."

A few hours later Dum Dum came to get her for supper. Diana squelched her disappointment that it wasn't Bucky with a mental iron fist. She was also very sure that everyone sensed a difference in her attitude toward them. She was again trying to distance herself from the Commandos, and she knew she was very bad at making it not obvious. There would probably, eventually be some kind of confrontation.

Diana retreated to her room after supper and poured over the files from the hospital and set her alarm for four am.

She fell asleep at her desk.

*FMttM*

Diana returned to the hospital to continue with her evaluations with the men in her care for physical therapy by Dr. Peter so that she could eventually take over in a few days. He gave her very specific instructions for each patient's therapy. Her first task was to have interviews with them in the ward, which was considered a safe place. She decided the best way to get the guys talking was to bring them a chess board and see how fast and how many games she could lose.

It was several hours and many games lost and a few won before she finally got to Lee. She set out the pieces, "Black or white?"

The young man observed her keenly, glancing down at the chessboard, "I was under the impression that this would be one of those irritating confessionals."

Diana shrugged, "I'm pretty sure that having a distraction makes sharing some things a bit easier. I'll take black." She held out the white king.

Lee frowned, his dark eyes flicking between the white king and Diana. Then his lips quirked into a sly smile, "I'll take you up on that challenge." He plucked the white king from her hands and gathered the other pieces from the box and began setting them up.

"So, I looked at your file," Diana began without much segway, "and when I turned up a whole lot of nothing, I talked to my CO."

"Very blunt of you. Although I doubt, Nurse, that he would've been very helpful." He moved his first piece.

"Well, you might have heard of the division I'm from," Diana said, "I am part of the SSR."

"Hmmm." He replied, staring at the board. He made a move, "I'd surmised that from your uniform the day you came. I had expected you to introduce yourself as Margaret Carter as she is the only known female working with the SSR." He looked up as he moved a white piece, "You were a surprise." His gaze narrowed and sharpened, "You are the SSR's best kept secret."

That made Diana smile, "Well, that's good." She made a move.

"Yes, it means that the SSR is not the sieve I thought it to be." He made a move, "Check."

"What? Already?!"

"Your game lacks strategy." Lee replied simply.

"Well thanks for that." She made her move.

"I wouldn't go there."

"Huh?"

"The move you're contemplating - it will not help you."

"Oh yeah? Well, oh wise secret agent man, where should I move?" She asked holding out the piece to him.

He took the piece from her and set it on another square, "That would be the best strategic move." Lee told her, "Although the game has been lost for some time. I drew it out purposefully to get a measure of your abilities."

"Right. " Diana sighed, "Well, I guess I should just forfeit."

"No, no. Don't do that," Lee assured her, "Although this game is lost, the least I can do is teach you to actually play during these last few moves toward inevitable defeat."

He spent some time teaching her strategies, explaining what he was doing with the pieces and how to retaliate. It took about twenty more minutes before he made a checkmate.

"I expect our next game to be more challenging." He told her, "We will speak more then."

With that said, he stood and strode with only a little limp over to the window he liked to stare out of. He opened it a crack and lit a cigarette.

Well, that was interesting and completely uninformative - at least from a "who are you" perspective. Still, Lee didn't seem to be too mentally disturbed by his ordeals. There had been no reports of night terrors, and his injuries - mainly his leg which was causing a limp - was almost healed. Diana doubted she'd see much of Lee after the next few days.

Sighing, she decided to go on to her next patient. She tried out some of the strategies Lee had taught her on her next opponents. Diana even thought she saw Lee watching one of the games out of the corner of his eye as he smoked. Diana still wasn't very good and blundered a few of the strategies, but she was able to make a few of the games quite a bit longer.

Soon she was facing off with Luke Murdock. He gave her a shy smile. It reminded her of Charlie Cox and started to cement the idea that perhaps this was Matt Murdock's grandfather, "I'll tell you right now that I'm not that good at chess. Give me checkers or poker and you'll lose big time."

"Well, then, maybe we can both brush up on our chess skills."

"I haven't been the one playing all day." Murdock replied, choosing the black king, "Looks like Lee gave you a few pointers. Most of us have played against him, and he never loses."

They played quietly for a little bit, but after a few moves, Diana knew she would have to start the conversation, "I read your file."

The young man grimaced, "It's not pretty, is it?"

"I've actually seen a case very similar to yours before." She told him, moving one of her white pieces.

His gaze snapped up, "Really?"

It was then that she realized just exactly how young he looked, and she frowned, "Your file says you're nineteen. I don't think I believe that anymore. How old are you?"

"I'm nineteen, I swear!" He protested.

Diana continued to stare at him as his face slowly turned red, "Really?"

"Yes, I am. I'm nineteen."

"Try again, kid."

Murdock ducked his head, "After everything they did to me, I feel a lot older than nineteen, though. I might as well be labelled forty after all that."

Diana reached across the table and put a hand on his shoulder, "How old are you, really?"

A hand clenched around a pawn, "Almost eighteen." He gritted out, "In two weeks. I signed up just after I turned sixteen."

"Seventeen. Then -" She sucked in a breath, "Hang on and don't go anywhere, Luke." She stood, but he grabbed her sleeve to stop her.

"Please, please don't tell them." He begged, "I don't want to go home. I want to fight. I -"

"Don't worry, kid." She said, "I know someone who wanted the same thing for the longest time but couldn't sign up for the army due to health issues. You're just lucky you haven't been caught." Diana squeezed his hand, "I think I'll have someone come for visiting hours."

"Like who?"

She grinned and winked, "It's a secret, just like your real age."

Diana strode purposefully out the door and quickly searched for Dr. Peter. Once she found him, she told him she needed to bring someone back from her division to talk to one of the guys. Dr. Peter gave her the okay and sent another nurse to look after the soldiers, although they could mostly be left to their own devices when not in physical therapy.

She knew she either had to find Steve or Bucky. Whichever she found first, she'd bring him in to meet Luke. Diana paused on the sidewalk; she'd started calling Lt. Murdock by his first name, Luke, already. She began walking again with even more purpose. Then again, he was just a kid. An important one, but still, just a kid.

He'd need someone to look up to. Someone like Captain America or Sergeant Barnes. The former would understand Luke's need to join the army. The latter would understand Luke's imprisonment by HYDRA's science division. The boy needed someone to talk to, and she knew that he probably wouldn't talk to her.

Upon entering headquarters, she began her search for Steve or Bucky.

"Hey, Nurse Larson," it was Dum Dum, "you're back early."

"I'm looking for Steve or Bucky. Have you seen them?"

"They're in a briefing with Colonel Phillips." Dum Dum replied, "I don't know how long they're gonna be. What do you need?"

Diana thought for a moment. Dum Dum had also been one of the soldiers rescued from the HYDRA facility, but she didn't know whether he'd been experimented upon or not. Also, he didn't know about the cases she'd submitted to the Colonel.

"There's a soldier at the hospital who needs someone to talk to, someone who will understand his situation."

Dum Dum frowned, "What happened to him?"

Diana hesitated, "Well, I can't technically say, but the Colonel and Sergeant Barnes know exactly what it's about."

The Commando stared thoughtfully for a moment, "Was this guy captured by HYDRA?" He asked quietly.

She had to laugh. Of course it had been obvious, "Good guess."

"Experimented on?"

"That's the assumption."

"And that's why you want to talk to Bucky."

"Yeah."

"I'll go see if they're done. The Cap usually gives the rest of us a briefing right after the Colonel, so it might be a while before they can come see this guy."

"It's fine. Just tell either of them or both to come to the hospital."

"Can do."

"Thanks Dum Dum."

"It's no problem."

*FMttM*

It was actually a few days later that Steve and Bucky let her know they'd drop by the hospital to meet with the soldier who'd been captured by HYDRA. Bucky had told Steve, with Diana's permission, about the boy. The Commandos were looking into HYDRA operations in London, hunting them down for information and stopping whatever quest they'd been given in the English capital.

That morning, she got back to the hospital to discover Luke was gone.

"What happened?" Diana asked, "Where's Luke?"

None of the guys wanted to talk. Diana scanned over the men. "Sergeant MacLeod?" No answer. "Private Davies?" Still no answer. She did notice that Private Messer had a black eye. Oh no…

"Be careful of Murdock, Nurse Larson. He's got the devil in him." Lieutenant Drake told her.

There was that phrase. Diana sucked in a breath, "What. Happened?"

Lee spoke from his smoking spot, "Young Private Murdock did not react well to being teased, Nurse Larson."

"Shut up, Lee." Messer hissed.

Lee eyed Private Messer with a gaze that could be considered threatening. The other man was cowed. Then Lee spoke to Diana, "Private Messer noticed that Mr. Murdock has become smitten with you. Private Messer then decided, unwisely, to tease the boy about it. I'm not entirely certain how or why it happened, but Mr. Murdock lashed out. I and another," Lee motioned to Drake, "had to hold him back. Difficult, yes. It was quite surprising that the boy had that much strength."

Diana sighed, "Has this happened before?"

"On occasion." Lee replied, "I'm certain something happened to the boy prior to his arrival here."

"Yes, something did happen." She murmured. Then she asked, "Where is he?"

"He's receiving therapy for post-concussional syndrome." Drake told her, although the green tinge of his skin told her that 'therapy' wasn't the right word.

"What the hell is that?"

"I believe the Americans still call it 'shell shock,' although here that phrase has been banned in most medical settings." Lee told her.

"No… I have to stop it. Can one of you show me where?" No one moved, "Please! Someone's gotta know where they took him!"

"I'll show you, Nurse Larson." Lee replied, "Although I suggest you stay close."

"Thank you."

*FMttM*

The tall dark-haired man led her to a completely different wing of the hospital and to a closed door, "This is where they take the more violent patients for post-concussional syndrome therapy." Lee explained, "It's not pleasant."

Diana steeled herself to see something horrible when she opened the door. She had to remember that WWII doctors didn't know a lot about how to treat mental illness yet. They knew some, and it was better than the 'treatments' in WWI, but… She half expected the HYDRA chair for the Winter Soldier to be on the other side.

She opened the on the other side of the room saw an operating table. Luke was struggling against the straps holding him down as a doctor prepared a syringe.

"What the hell is going on here!?" Diana bellowed horrified that someone was sticking MORE drugs into the boy.

The doctor's head snapped toward her, and she realized it was Dr. Peter. Luke also stilled. "Nurse Larson," Doctor Peter said from behind his surgical mask, "you don't understand what's going on. I must sedate Private Murdock before he endangers himself of his ward-mates."

"You will do nothing of the sort." Diana replied, "From what I heard from my men, Private Murdock suffered a flashback, and you're just making it worse. Didn't you even READ his file?"

"I have read his file. We've had many POWs come through here, yet none have been as violent as Private Murdock."

"Then you're a moron! Let me speak to him alone."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"GET OUT!" She shouted.

Dr. Peter straightened, "This is my ward, Nurse Larson -"

"I won't say it again." Diana took a step forward, "Let me talk to MY patient alone. Now."

"It's your funeral." Dr. Peter sighed and put down the syringe. "I will have to report this incident to your commanding officer."

"You do that."

Once the doctor had left, Diana approached Luke, "You okay kid?"

He looked up at her with bleary brown eyes, "They have no women in their ranks." He gave a small smile, "I'm not there. I'm not there." He chanted, squeezing his eyes shut. Tears leaked out the corners.

"It's okay, kid. You're safe." Diana stroked his hair and continued to murmur comforting words until Luke seemed to be completely calm, "Are you good? Can I let you out of these restraints?"

Luke swallowed, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so much trouble. Did I -?" He paused, "I punched Messer. Is he okay?"

"He's got a black eye."

"God forgive me." The boy whispered, "I never meant to… to let the devil out. Again."

Diana worked on the straps, "Don't worry about it, kid."

"They did something to me. They turned me into a demon! I don't know what to do!"

"Shhh… Shh... It's okay."

"But they… they DID something to me!"

"If you don't take a few deep breaths, I won't get rid of these straps. And if I don't get rid of these straps, then your flashback can't entirely end!" Diana didn't mean to snap at Luke, but it came out much harsher than she meant it.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Luke trembled, "I'll try. Please. Just get me out of here."

"Before I do…" Diana remembered the demon test from the TV show Supernatural. Maybe that would give Luke some piece of mind, even if it was something from fiction, "Christo."

"What?" Luke blinked at her.

She smiled, "That's a demon test. Demons can't hear the word without wincing or revealing themselves to the person who says the word 'Christo'."

"I haven't heard that."

"It's an exclusive thing, and Latin, but just so you know… you're not a demon."

"But they still did something to me." Luke murmured a hand forming a white-knuckled fist, "I can't deny that now."

"I'm gonna get these straps off."

Luke started saying a litany of prayers - forgiveness, strength, and others.

Diana quickly finished with the straps and allowed Luke to sit up with his head bowed, "I'm sorry to be so much trouble." He told her.

"Maybe it's time you talked about your time with HYDRA." Diana coaxed him a little, "It might help with these episodes you're having. Your file said you have had night terrors too."

Luke bit his lip, "You really think it'll help?" He asked shyly.

"Nothing's for sure, and I can't guarantee anything, but it's better than keeping it bottled up. Keeping secrets will only lead to… well… this."

"I don't think a pretty girl like you should hear what I've been through." Luke muttered and blushed.

Diana smiled, "You're the second soldier to tell me I'm pretty."

Luke's blush deepened and he ducked his head, "Sorry. That was out of line."

"It's okay kid." She said, "Can you stand?" Luke slowly got to his feet, "Come on. I think Lee's waiting outside. Maybe you could talk to him. He's really good at keeping secrets, and I doubt his opinion of you would change if you told him."

Luke kept his head down as they crossed the room, "I'd rather not tell someone I'd see every day."

"Well, I have two soldiers from my division dropping by this afternoon. One of them was also a prisoner of HYDRA" Diana informed him as they reached the door, "You might've heard of them. One goes by Captain America and the other -"

"Captain America!?" Luke's eyes sparked, "I've always wanted to meet him!"

"Sergeant Bucky Barnes will probably come with him," Diana said, "and between you and me, he's been through almost exactly what you went through with the Nazi Science Division." She used HYDRA's other, more commonly known name.

Luke nodded and reached for the doorknob on his own, "I'll try talking to them. I'd rather you weren't there, but… I bet that's impossible."

"Sorry kid." She watched Luke turn the knob. "It's part of my job, but it will be confidential."

"I see you're still alive." Lee commented from a little ways down the hall.

"Yeah. Where'd Doctor Peter go?"

"My guess is that he went to report to your superior officer about this incident." Lee sneered a little, "I would say that you've done the right thing under these circumstances."

"Thanks for the support. Let's get back to the ward."

*FMttM*

Diana kept a close eye on Luke for the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon. They played several games of chess where he talked about home and his younger sister. Diana spoke about her home too, still being careful not to mention technology that didn't exist yet.

Steve and Bucky entered the ward in mid-afternoon. The men, except Lee who just look exasperated, were starstruck. Steve was kind enough to give autographs as Bucky stood off to the side next to Diana with a smirk on his face.

"You know," the Sergeant told her, "you're just inflating that punk's ego with all this."

Diana elbowed him, "Since when have you known Steve to have an ego?"

"Touché." Bucky laughed a little, "Still, where's this kid you want us to talk to?"

"He's the youngest one here." Diana pointed out Luke to the future Winter Soldier.

Bucky blinked, "He looks younger in person."

"He lied on his application." Diana murmured to the Sergeant.

"Not another one. How old is this kid, really?"

"Almost eighteen."

Bucky puffed out a sigh, "Well, could be worse. Do you know how many times Steve lied on his applications before he was chosen for the program?" He didn't give Diana a chance to answer, "Too many. I didn't want that punk to fight more than he already did on the streets, but look at him now."

"He's a symbol of freedom now."

The Sergeant gave a sad smile, "Yeah, but that always comes with a price."

"Yeah." Diana caught Luke's gaze, "Come with me." She motioned for Bucky to follow her. It was time for introductions while the masses were fawning over the WWII hero. She'd introduce the Cap later when the guys had calmed down a bit. "Luke, I want you to meet Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, otherwise known as Bucky of the Howling Commandos."

"It's a real honor to meet you, Sergeant Barnes." Luke held out his hand.

Bucky shook it, "Call me Bucky, kid. Sergeant Barnes makes me feel like my CO's found me doing something wrong."

Luke laughed a little, "Yeah, Private Murdock makes me feel the same way."

"Shall we go somewhere a bit more private to talk?" Diana suggested.

"Do we have to?" The young Private begged with his eyes to not talk about the things he'd been through.

"Sorry kid. This is something you have to do."

"Alright. I do want to get better, I swear."

"And I'm sure this'll help. Come on." She led them to one of the smaller reading rooms off to the side, "Steve'll find us when his adoring fans calm down."

The two soldiers sat down, both a little antsy about talking about their experiences with HYDRA.

Diana knew she'd have to start the conversation, "I know this is difficult to talk about for both of you. Being held by and even experimented on by those monsters is no picnic. I think you're both very brave to have gotten through it in one piece. However, I know that those dark days still bother Luke. He hasn't been able to kick any Nazi ass since he's gotten here. He hasn't been avenged yet. So, I need you to talk about what happened. If you don't, it'll all come back to haunt you in your dreams and waking nightmares."

There was a long, cold silence. Diana was about to speak again when a soft voice broke through the tension.

"I wasn't even with them that long. A month, maybe, at most, but the things they did…" Luke stared down at his hands, "I can still see the glint of the scalpel sometimes, the spark of the needle. I don't know what they did to me. They've made me into someone else, someTHING else. Now I'm hurting people in blind rages." He ducked his head, "They've brought the devil out in me."

Bucky looked thoughtful for a moment. Diana had noted the fact that Luke hadn't called the people who captured him the Nazi Science Division or HYDRA, and it seemed Bucky noticed too, "I spent a lovely month's stay with their too. I don't remember a lot of it, especially toward the end. When Steve came to rescue us, I thought I was hallucinating. I don't know what those bastards did to me either, but I've gotten support from Steve and the other guys in my company. It helps, you know, to talk. It really does."

The boy nodded, "I know, but I was the only one to get out of there. I was the only one rescued."

Bucky put a hand on Luke's shoulder, "I'm sorry for your loss. No one should have to go through what we did. And you're even younger than me. I don't know how you did it, but you did. You'll need to learn control if you think that whatever they did is affecting you."

There was a knock at the door. Diana stood to open it and Steve stood in the threshold, "Can I join you guys?"

"Yeah." Luke was the first to speak.

"So, you're the famous Luke Murdock."

The boy blushed, "Yeah, I am."

"How old are you son?"

"Seventeen…" Luke blurted before looking horrified, "Please don't tell anyone. I swear I just wanted to do my duty for my country. I know I'm technically too young, but I wanted to fight!"

"Is there an echo in here or am I imagining it?" Bucky gave a sly look to his best friend.

Steve took a seat and sent a mildly annoyed glare to the Sergeant, "Don't worry, Private Murdock. I tried to lie on several of my applications to get into the army. I got rejected every time though. I guess it was all for the best."

Diana let the three guys talk about their war experiences and the time the spent with or fighting against HYDRA. She listened to Luke talk about his experiences, although he did try to remain strong in front of the two Commandos. Still, knowing he was not alone in his struggles seemed to help a bit.

"You know how you said that they brought out the devil in you?" Bucky asked Luke.

"Yeah…?"

The future Winter Soldier gave a vicious grin, "If they unleashed the devil, maybe he should take a little vengeance. We could talk with the Colonel to see if you could join us when you're released."

Luke shook his head, "I think I should go back to my company." He gave a small smile, "Space out our resources and kick Nazi ass. If I'm to be stuck with… this, I only want to take them out. No one else."

"We understand loyalty, son," Steve acknowledged, "but a spot on our team will always be open to you."

The young private's smile got a little bigger, "That a promise?"

Bucky clapped Luke on the shoulder, "Whenever you need it, you can come to us, kid."

"Thanks. Thanks so much."

Bucky and Steve said their goodbyes to the rest of the soldiers and returned to their base.

Luke turned to Diana, "I really appreciate you doing this for me."

"No problem. Just as a warning, though, slogging through all those bad memories might make your night terrors worse for a while."

"If it makes things better in the long run, it's worth it."

"Okay. I really do hope it helps."

"Me too."

*FMttM*

A few weeks passed and Diana was able to determine that he would soon be ready for release if Dr. Peter also gave him the okay. In the meantime, Diana had signed the release papers for Lee and approached him to officially discharge him back to his super-secret duties with RAF Intelligence.

"Mr. Lee." Diana approached the tall young man.

"Nurse Larson." He replied without taking his eyes from his window to the outside world as he took a drag of his cigarette.

"I have your official hospital discharge papers. I just need your signature to make everything official here and then you're free to go."

Lee turned his gaze to her, "Is that so?" His dark eyes turned down to the papers in her hand, "Let's finish this, then." After grinding out his cigarette, he led her to a nearby table to sign the papers. Diana watched as he wrote his military number and his last name rather than his given name. Lee glanced up at her and gave a small smirk at her curiosity, "You expected me to sign with my full name?" She flushed at this and Lee gave a small chuckle, "When you have a secret, it is better to tell no one. If others find out, it's no longer a secret."

"I know. It's just… You remind me of someone." She said.

"Someone interesting, I hope." Lee signed the final paper.

Diana smiled, "Oh, he was awesome! He was even knighted for the stuff he did for his country."

"Hmmm…" His dark gaze penetrated hers, "What was his name?"

That caused her to stutter a little. "I… uh…"

Lee's expression became knowing, "Ah. It's part of your mystery, isn't it?" Diana flushed and couldn't look at him anymore, "Quite alright. I understand classified information and keeping secrets. Perhaps one day you will be able to tell me who he was or perhaps is." He smirked slyly before he stood. He clicked his heels together and saluted, "Thank you Nurse Larson for taking care of me in my time of need."

She stood as well and saluted back, "It's been a pleasure, Mr. Lee. There's an escort from the RAF waiting for you outside the ward."

He then did something unexpected. Lee took her hand and kissed her knuckles, "I will look after you, even if you don't know it."

"Thanks, I think."

He paused, "I know you have no family here. I mean to look after you as a brother looks after his sister to be sure she is safe and cared for by those around her."

"You don't have to do that."

"I owe you a favor for everything you've done, Nurse Larson. You deserve so much more than being alone in this world."

"Alright." She gave a small nod, "I appreciate it, Mr. Lee."

"Farewell, Miss Diana Larson." With one last nod, Lee strode away.

That was the last she saw of him in the ward.

*FMttM*

Her other patients were improving and would probably be discharged a little later in March or in early April. Since meeting with Steve and Bucky, Luke's night terrors were terrible the next few nights, waking up everyone in the ward. Diana had stayed the night each time so that she could take care of the boy and so that Doctor Peter couldn't use some electrotherapy, or whatever it was, on him again. It took a week for the nightmares to calm down and Luke could sleep peacefully for an entire night.

Diana knew that Luke was nearly ready to leave. She just needed to have one more session with him to determine his preparedness to return to service.

They sat at the chess table, preparing for what could possibly be their last game.

"So, I haven't had a nightmare in over a week." Luke told her as he started the game.

Diana looked up at the boy and smiled, "That's great news Luke. I'm very happy with your progress since I've been here."

"The nurse we had before wasn't really that helpful. She was nice and all, but she'd never been out in the field."

"Neither have I." Diana pointed out, remembering some of the SSR soldiers disliking the fact that she was a part of their division and yet didn't do any of the fighting.

"You've at least been out, though." Luke replied pointedly, "You've seen some battle wounds, and I'm pretty sure you've had the actual military training."

"Yeah, that's true, but I haven't gone out fighting myself."

"Doesn't matter. You know us and understand us better than she did." He moved one of his knights, "I hope I'm out of here before she comes back. I doubt she'd stand up to Doctor Peter like you did. Most doctors seem to think that electroshock therapy is the best treatment for post-concussional syndrome."

"I'm just glad I could make things better and not worse."

"You definitely did." Luke paused as he made a move, "To tell you the truth, though, I'm not really looking forward to going back to the front. I don't know what the Nazis did to me, not entirely. I have to keep my temper in check all the time when I'm awake so I don't beat up people who annoy me," he paused, "although that breathing meditation like you told me about helps a lot."

"Good. Keep doing it and only let the devil out when you need to."

*FMttM*

It was the end of March. Diana had just finished signing off on the forms for Luke Murdock's release from the hospital with a smile on her face. He was a nice kid, and he'd bring into the world an awesome boxer in Jack Murdock and Daredevil himself - she was sure of that now.

She was about to go out the door to deliver the paperwork to the hospital when the Howling Commandos burst through the door with a happy cheer, slapping Steve on the back as they went.

"Diana!" Bucky grinned at her when he saw her and swept her up in a sweeping hug. The show of affection left her red-faced. "Steve did it! That punk rallied a bunch of civilians with a speech and took down HYDRA! With words!" He laughed and smacked his best friend on the shoulder, "Wouldn't've thought you had it in you back in Brooklyn."

Steve was blushing, "I didn't do anything. I just told some scared people what they needed to hear to gather their courage and help us on our mission to rid the world of evil."

Diana composed herself and smiled at the Captain, "Congratulations on a successful and injury-less mission."

"Thanks." Steve inclined his head toward her.

"Hey, we're going out dancing later tonight to celebrate." Bucky told her, "You should come."

"I'm a bit busy…" She replied, holding up her folder.

"Aww, come on dollface. You can watch Steve and Peggy make doe eyes at each other."

Steve's blush returned and he scoffed, muttering something Diana couldn't understand, but it earned him a harsh elbow and a glare from Bucky. The Captain sighed before a sly smirk crossed his face, "Well, the entire SSR's gonna be there. It wouldn't be complete without you. Oh, and Howard Stark's gonna be there too. He's been wanting to meet you thanks to the rumors that have circulated among the other officers."

"Howard Stark, huh?" Diana arched a blonde eyebrow and a smirk of her own. Meeting Tony's dad when he was the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist would be interesting. "Well, he's someone I've been wanting to meet for a while. I might make an appearance after I hand these papers in."

"Who're the papers for?" Bucky asked.

"Luke's getting released from the hospital today."

The Captain smiled, "That's great! Give him our best and remind him of our offer."

"I will." She replied, "Are you all going out dancing right now?"

"We're gonna debrief, change, and then go out. Do you want us to pick you up at the hospital?" Steve asked.

"Sure. Then I won't get lost in the middle of London."

"Alright. We'll come get you in a bit. Come on, Buck." Steve and Bucky headed to their quarters to change.

Diana paused, thinking. Dancing. She glanced down at her current attire - her nursing uniform - and made a face. Maybe she could grab one of her nicer dresses, touch up her make-up, and redo her hair in one of the hospital bathrooms. With a nod, she moved back to her quarters to grab what she needed to get ready.

*FMttM*

Luke Murdock was a free man. He didn't have to stay in the hospital any longer and he practically whooped for joy. He would have a short furlough before being shipped back to the frontlines with his regiment.

Diana grinned, unable to contain her own happiness when she saw Luke's reaction.

They stepped out into the hall to go to the check out, "I couldn't have done it without you, Nurse Larson."

"I'm not your nurse anymore."

"Miss Larson." He grinned.

As she signed all of the paperwork and waited for him to sign, she said, "The Howling Commandos are celebrating a completed mission before going on a short furlough. The Captain and Sergeant Barnes are coming to pick me up. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you came along. You are, after all, an honorary Commando."

"Really? That'd be great!" Luke grinned as he signed the final paper.

Diana hefted the bag that had her change of clothes in it, "Well, I just need to go find a restroom to change. Mind waiting outside the door for me - be my lookout?"

"Sure, I can do that."

"Awesome."

They didn't have to look far for a changing room. Diana slipped in and began her quick change. Luckily, some aspects of her nurse uniform - the skin-toned nylons and white shoes - would match the blue dress she'd grabbed from her wardrobe. She touched up her make-up first before completely undoing her blond hair. She combed it out as best she could with her fingers before braiding it and wrapping the braid around her head. She replaced the pins at various intervals and put numerous pins near the tail end of the braid in an attempt to hide it at the head of the braid.

Diana was suddenly scared. The only dances she'd been to were her high school formals and the bump and grind of a few clubs she'd gone to with her college friends. God, she hoped no one asked her to dance. She exited the changing room.

There was a low whistle, "You look beautiful, Miss Larson." Luke commented, his face a little red.

"You think so?" She smiled, "I've never worn this kind dress before."

"Well, you look great, like a - a…" His flush darkened as he couldn't think of a simile and stuttered adorably.

Diana laughed a little, "Thanks for the compliment, Luke."

"You're welcome. The dress matches your eyes."

"It's one of the better colors on me, according to my mom."

Luke smiled shyly, "So… I guess we just wait by the door now?"

She shrugged, "I guess so."

The young man nodded and held out his arm, "May I be your escort?"

"You're too kind." Diana took his arm. They strode toward the main entrance together.

*FMttM*

It didn't take long for the Howling Commandos to appear at the hospital. They were happy to welcome Luke into the fold for the festivities. They went to a nearby pub and ordered drinks all around.

After a meal, a live band struck up some music. Several Commandos approached young ladies and the dancing began. Steve leaned back to watch his friends having fun for the short time they'd be on furlough. Diana on the other hand was a nervous wreck, just waiting for some poor schmuck to ask her to dance. She wrung her hands, waiting.

"You okay, Diana?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Just fine." She answered, "Nothing's wrong at all."

The Captain smiled, "I know the feeling. Have you ever danced before?"

"Not like this." Diana muttered, staring at her hands clenching her skirt.

"Really? They don't have dancing where you're from?"

"Most outings with couples are dinner and a movie, and dancing like this… well, it doesn't exist anymore. Not really."

Steve looked surprised, "Then what do you do... in places like this?"

She grimaced, "People are a lot freer where I'm from when it comes to showing intimacy in public. So, things get a bit more heated on the dance floor. Think… tango, but more."

"Oh…" The Captain's face flushed a little. "Well, here, maybe you just need to find the right partner."

"Like you waiting for Peggy?" Diana teased.

"No." He denied far too quickly, "And what about you and Bucky?"

"Huh?!" She looked at him incredulously, "No! No, no, no, no. I can't - It's not… No. He's got a destiny, just like you, that I can't interfere with, and there's nothing between us. At. All."

"Maybe you're supposed to interfere with whatever his supposed destiny is." Steve replied.

An image of him falling from the train flashed through her mind. Then his torture at the hands of the Soviets and HYDRA, and his completely blank stare as he asked his one-time best friend, "Who the hell is Bucky?" God, she wished she could prevent that, but she knew that no matter what, he'd stand by Steve on that fateful mission. It was in his character, in his bones, to be right next to his best friend through thick and thin, to the end of the line.

She ducked her head, "I can't, Steve. I can't get invested when I know exactly what'll happen whether I'm around or not."

"Well, one dance won't hurt." He suggested.

Diana tensed. She had to get out before she did something stupid. She made a decision, "No. I won't ruin the timeline. It's way too important, even the horrible parts." She stood and glanced at Steve, "You know nothing, Captain Rogers." She strode away toward the door.

"Wait, Diana!" Steve called after her.

She kept going, picking up her pace a little. Stupid heels. Stupid '40s. Stupid Marvel Cinematic Universe that she was stuck in. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Diana was barely a block away when she kicked off her heels. She didn't bother picking them up as she sprinted away.

*FMttM*

Diana arrived back at SSR headquarters and went straight to her room, locking the door behind her. She curled up on her bed, willing herself not to cry at the pain of sticking to the timeline would cause the people that she would finally admit were her friends. She was unsuccessful as tears dripped down her nose and her heart ached for the Captain - frozen in ice and losing his love; the Winter Soldier - tortured and used as a thing for killing; the inventor, Howard Stark (whom she still hadn't met) - absentee father for Tony and murdered before his time was really up; Peggy - the badass lady who would lose her love and have to find it elsewhere. For everyone who would die during the Infinity War against Thanos and his minions.

She missed home. Home was simple. God damn it, she wanted to go home. Her parents, her siblings… God how she missed them. Diana hadn't thought about them in months. What kind of person did that make her? How could she just… put them aside and forget about them?

Diana curled up a little more, trying to protect her slowly shredding heart as her fingers clenched the coarse sheets. This place was so fucking stupid. This WORLD WAS STUPID AND SHITTY AND WHY WAS SHE HERE IF SHE WAS POWERLESS!?

She threw a pillow across the room with a scream and buried her face in her hands once she sat up. Diana had to do something. She needed a way to help the people she'd begun to care about… But everything important was happening post-2008. How was she supposed to survive that long? How was she supposed to - her thoughts cut off when she remembered one place that might have the answers for her: The Sanctum in Tibet or Nepal or something. She couldn't remember the name, but she knew the New York location was on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village. Maybe, just maybe, they or the Ancient One could solve her problem(s).

There was a knock at her door. Diana scrubbed at her face and called out, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Bucky." Came his voice from the other side, "Look, I don't know exactly what happened back there, but Steve can sometimes put his foot in his mouth. I saw you leaving and I thought I'd check up on you, see what was wrong."

"Everything's fine, Sergeant Barnes." She told him, again using formality to try to distance herself a little from these Marvelous heroes.

"Aren't we past formalities?" Bucky' voice sounded a little disappointed, "I thought we were at least friends."

Diana sighed, "It's not you or the Captain. He just said something to remind me that just by being here I'm changing things that shouldn't be changed."

"How do you know?" There was a beat, "Look, I don't know much about crossing dimensions or time travel or whatever, but I do know that you've become part of our team, our family. You're important to all of us, not just in a professional sense, but also personally. You're our friend, Diana. You should know that by now."

"Yeah."

"Then talk to us."

"I can't!" Her voice cracked, "You don't understand, Bucky! I know things - secrets that must never be told and knowledge that must never be spoken! It's weighing on me, Buck, and I have to carry it until I die or those events come to pass. They're too important in the grand scheme of things, and I won't do that to Tony or Bruce or Natasha or Clint or… or anyone!"

"I understand there's things you can't talk about, but Diana, don't let a possible future stand in your way of making your own life. You're here now for whatever purpose, and all you're doing is making yourself miserable instead of living."

Diana hung her head, "Steve's gonna be so mad at me when it happens, and I didn't tell him because it's only a possibility."

"You'll have to cross that bridge when you get to it, dollface."

"Don't call me that." She shot back, but there was no annoyance accompanying the retort.

Bucky laughed softly, "Come on out. I got your shoes." A pause, "Geez, how do you walk in these things?"

She scrubbed at her face again, sure that her makeup was smeared and running, "Practice." She opened the door to her room.

"There she is." Bucky smiled at her. He frowned, his blue eyes flinty, "Did Steve make you cry?"

Diana rubbed at her eyes,""No, it's okay. It wasn't Steve's fault. What he said was just the catalyst for a torrent of… well… you know..." She looked to the side and saw her shoes in his left hand. "Thanks for picking up my heels."

"Do you want to freshen up first and maybe return to the pub?" Bucky asked hopefully, "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to, but I was gonna ask you to dance."

"You don't want to dance with me. I'll step all over your toes and make a mess of things."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm a good dancer," the Sergeant grinned, "and you can't be that bad."

Why oh why did the universe keep pushing this? He was going to fall from the train in a few months and then be frozen on and off for around 70 years. Then he might not even remember her for another few years once he was permanently woken from the ice!

She reached out for her heels, but Bucky wouldn't let them go, "I'm not giving these to you until you come back. I'll make Steve apologize for making you cry." He told her, "And I won't force you to dance, but I'd really like it if you would."

Diana glared at him, "You're such a stupid-face."

"I know, dollface." He grinned, "So? What's your decision?"

"Fine, I'll go back with you. I make no promises about the dance, though."

"Here are your deathtraps."

"Thanks. Give me a few minutes to get rid of this." She motioned to her face, "I'll be right back."

Diana went to the washroom and cleaned the makeup off her face. She stared at herself in the mirror for a few moments, "What the hell are you doing? Just what the HELL do you think you're doing?! You should be trying to find a way to the Ancient One to see if she can help you get home, but NO… you see those big blue eyes and lose it. Are you insane? When did you become a fangirl Mary Sue? And Sebastian Stan is WAAAY too old for you!" Doesn't make him any less attractive, especially since he's his mid to late 20s year old self here - Bucky… The Winter Soldier. "Dammit. God fucking damn it!" She smacked her hands against the sink, sending aching tingles up her arms. Diana grimaced and shook out her hands.

She splashed more water on her face and began wiping it with a towel. Sighing, she picked up her extra make-up bag that she'd taken from her room and began to re-apply the 1940s style foundation, blush, eyeliner, and lipstick. Some strands of her blond hair had fallen out of her up-do when she'd run from the pub, creating wisps about her face. "Well, might as well let it go." She gave a wan smile to her reflection as she took the bobby pins out and let her braid fall free down her back.

As she walked back to her room to drop off her makeup bag, she could feel the Sergeant's gaze on her. Diana refused to make eye contact as she blushed and entered her room. She dropped her bag on her bed and returned to the half open door. It was now or never. She had to decide - to interfere or not interfere… that is the question… Diana gripped the knob and opened the door. She looked straight at Bucky, meeting his gaze, "Alright, I'm ready to go."

"You look beautiful." He told her.

Her blush returned, and she quickly looked away, "Thanks. Er… Let's go."

She was here in this world now. She would try not to change things as much as possible, but that didn't mean she shouldn't live. Diana fixed her gaze straight ahead, determined to help the people she cared about.

"What're you thinking about? You look pretty solemn and a little scary."

Diana smirked at the Sergeant, "I've decided I'm gonna take your words to heart and live my life the way I choose, and damn the timeline I know."

He couldn't help the grin that bloomed on his face, "That's great, Diana," the grin turned crooked, "Does this mean you'll dance with me?"

"I'll need to learn how first. Otherwise you'll have broken toes when I step on your feet with these 'deathtraps.'" She indicated her heels.

Bucky laughed, "I'm glad that wasn't an outright no."

"You're right. It wasn't. It's a 'we'll see'." She replied.

Bucky held out his arm, "You know, I wouldn't be a proper gentleman if I didn't officially escort you."

Diana rolled her eyes, "You're such a stupid-face." She took his arm anyway.

*FMttM*

When they had returned to the pub, Steve approached immediately, "Miss Larson, I'm so glad you came back. I'm sorry I teased you like that. I shouldn't have pushed so hard for you to do something you weren't comfortable with."

She let go of Bucky's arm and put a hand on the Captain's arm, "It's okay, Steve. I've been so caught up in the timeline stuff that I forgot that you guys are real living, breathing people and," she quieted her voice a little, "not just something I read about or watched in the movies."

"I understand." He nodded, "By the way, Howard Stark has been wanting to meet you. He got here just after you er… left."

"Oh? And what does he want?"

"Apparently he's also one of the few people in the know about you." Steve frowned slightly, "Although I don't know why he would be."

"He probably would've figured it out himself sooner or later." Diana replied, "My mannerisms can sometimes be a bit of since I'm not a proper 1940s woman, and I have to be careful about what I say and do, like being in a completely different culture."

"Do you want to meet him?"

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Bucky put in, "He can be a bit of an arrogant ass."

"Bucky, language around the lady."

She laughed, "Oh, trust me, Captain Rogers, I've said and heard worse. I can swear whenever I want… dammit."

Steve's eyes went wide, "I guess it's different where you come from."

"Oh yeah." Then she smiled at the Captain, "So, the infamous Howard Stark wants to meet me. Show me the way."

"He'll probably pepper you with questions, but you don't have to answer anything if you don't want to." Steve told her as he led her to a table close to the bar. There were a few ladies sitting there with a mustachioed man that looked vaguely like Robert Downey Jr.

Diana glanced back at Bucky, who hadn't followed them. He was standing there with a frown on his face. "Hang on a sec." She said, making what would probably be a very bad decision. She strode back to the Sergeant, "Hey, after I talk to Stark, maybe you could teach me to dance."

That turned his frown upside-down and his eyes lit up, "You got it, dollface."

"Don't call me that." She rolled her eyes at him before turning back to Steve and the now empty-of-ladies table. With a deep sigh, she returned to meet the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist senior.

"Howard Stark," Steve addressed the man at the table, "This is Nurse Diana Larson. Diana, this is Howard Stark."

Stark had stood from his chair at the introduction and took her hand in his, "Enchanté, mademoiselle."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes, "Nice to meet you too, Mr. Stark."

"Oh please, call me Howard." His dark eyes glittered as he gave a charming smile. Well, at least she knew where Tony got it.

"No, I think I'll stick to Mr. Stark for now." She replied, "I heard you wanted to meet me."

"That's right! Have a seat." Stark motioned to the table, "What'll you have?"

Diana shrugged, "I doubt the bartender could make the drink I like."

"And what's that?" The billionaire - millionaire? - leaned forward.

"It's called a Tequila Sunrise. It has tequila - obviously - orange juice, and grenadine syrup."

"I've heard of that drink," Stark told her, to her surprise, "although the mixture's a bit different from the one I know: tequila, crème de cassis, lime juice, and soda water. But your version sounds delicious. I might have to try it when I get back Stateside." He called over the bartender and ask if they had ingredients for the either version of the drink. The bartender confirmed he could make the drink with the original recipe. Stark grinned at Diana, "I bet you're gonna love this."

He leaned back looking very proud of himself. Diana looked over to where the Howling Commandos were seated and saw Luke talking animatedly with Dum Dum. He noticed her gaze and gave a smile and wave.

"So, I know you can't tell me too much because of morals and all that kind stuff, but," he leaned forward, "what's your time like? Are there flying cars? Have we made it to outer space? What do you do for fun?"

"Woah, I can only answer so many questions, Mr. Stark."

"Howard."

"Mr. Stark." She reiterated pointedly, "There are no flying cars. We have made it to outer space. And for fun we play lots of video games on computers, gaming consoles, or our cell phones, or we watch movies in the theatres, on our TVs, on our computers, or on our phones."

"So, your telephones have turned into all-purpose devices?" Stark asked eagerly.

"Yup."

"Computers must get a lot smaller between then and now."

"Oh yeah. When I'm from, you could hold a computer in the palm of your hand or set it in your lap and do practically anything and talk to anyone."

"That's a big technology jump."

"Well, we had some geniuses come along both in the States and Japan." Diana paused at the frown on Stark's face, "The Japanese aren't actually that bad once they got over their 'let's take over the world' phase. They brought some awesome technology and storytelling to the world."

"And what about getting to outer space? When's that gonna happen?"

"I can't tell you when, but it will be amazing. It will be one small step for man, and one giant leap for mankind."

"I sense a quote in there."

"Smart man."

"Well," Stark grinned, "I am a genius."

"Modest too."

The bartender brought Diana her drink in a tall glass. It looked different from what she was used to, but one sip told her that it was still as yummy as her usual.

"Is there anything else you can tell me about your time?" Stark asked.

Diana hummed over her drink, "Not too much. I'm not very helpful am I?"

The man pouted, "No, you're not. Come on, just tell me one thing."

"Well, your technology is instrumental in creating one of the first modern superheroes without civilian superpowers - other than their brain, of course." She hoped that was specific enough to satisfy him yet vague enough that he wouldn't feel like he HAD to be pushed in that direction.

"So I'll be remembered."

"Oh yeah. The Stark Expos remain popular for a very, very long time."

"Even after I'm gone?" He asked, "I'm sure I'm probably not around in 2020. I'd be really old if I was… unless medical science has unlocked immortality…"

"No." She answered simply, not mentioning the fact that The Hand could make someone nearly immortal at the cost of a bit of bloodlust increase every time they died and resurrected. The immortal could also be killed Highlander style, so it wasn't really true immortality anyway. She sipped her drink in contemplation.

"Huh. Well, then I'd probably be dead by your time." Stark looked thoughtful, "Any progeny?"

"Can't say." Diana answered immediately.

"Well, you're just full of answers, are you?" He looked a bit disappointed.

The blonde took a gulp of her drink, "You keep asking questions I won't answer. I haven't even told Steve and Bucky some of the stuff I told you because they'd probably not really care much about the technology and stuff right now."

"I was hoping you could paint me a picture of the future, give me some hints on who I should look out for, maybe mentor."

"Anyone who did something important did well enough on their own." Diana told him, finishing her drink.

"You want another?" Stark asked.

"No. One's enough for me."

"That's too bad."

"Yup. No use trying to get me drunk and spilling my secrets." She looked back toward the Howling Commandos and caught Bucky's eye. He arched an eyebrow at her. "Well, Mr. Stark, it was a pleasure meeting you, but one of the Howling Commandos has promised me a dance."

"Barnes, right?" Stark smirked a little, "He's been glancing over here during our entire conversation. Is there something going on that the SSR should know about?"

"No more than what's going on between Steve and Peggy."

Stark's smirk turned into a grin, "Well, then, go you crazy kid."

Diana rolled her eyes and stood. She smoothed out her dress nervously and turned toward Bucky who was already making his way toward her. Diana met him halfway. "Hey."

"Hey yourself, dollface."

She wrinkled her nose at the nickname, but didn't comment on it this time, "Sergeant, I'd like to learn how to dance like they do in the 1940s."

Bucky grinned, "It would be my pleasure to teach you." He held out his hand, and she placed her own in his.

His grip was firm, but gentle as he pulled her to the dance floor. "You know how to swing dance?"

"Uh… I think we did a bit of that as a unit in junior high school gym class."

"It's fast, but fun. Just watch me, and you'll get the hang of it."

Some of her lessons from junior high came back to her as she watched the moves for the swing dance. But then the music changed to something a bit smoother and softer. Oh god. Was this going to be a slow dance? Or worse, a waltz? Bucky caught her hands and placed one on his shoulder and held the other in his calloused fingers.

He smirked slightly, "A bit of the waltz never hurt anyone."

Diana couldn't help but stare down at her feet as the unfamiliar dance began, "This was a stupid idea." She muttered as she nearly stepped on Bucky's feet.

"Diana," the Sergeant spoke, "don't look at your feet. Look at me."

She glanced up for a mere second, meeting his cerulean gaze before dropping her eyes back to her feet when she immediately felt like she made a misstep. "Sorry, sorry."

"Diana, relax and look at me." He insisted. The blonde licked her lips before lifting her eyes to look at Bucky. "There she is." He smiled, "Feel the music and the way we shift. It's basically the same steps over and over, doll." Her gaze darted down again, "No, don't do that." The hand that had been on her waist was quickly tilting up her chin, "Diana, please trust me. You have to trust me for this to work." His thumb stroked her chin before he dropped it, blinking, "I know you can do it."

She swallowed, "Okay."

The blonde kept her eyes locked on the Sergeant's baby blues as he led her through the waltz. When the dance ended, it felt like it had lasted forever and yet was over far too quickly.

"There. Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Bucky smiled at her, "You were wonderful."

"Thanks." Diana could feel her face starting to turn red, "I, uh, I gotta sit down. I think the alcohol I had earlier is getting to me."

"Sure. Allow me." He escorted her to the Howling Commandos' table and sat her down next to Steve before pulling up a chair to sit next to her.

There was chatter and laughter and stories. They stayed quite late; even Stark had left. That was when Dum Dum took out a harmonica and began to play "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." The Commandos began to sing along to the tune. Diana was pretty sure a few of them were drunk.

"Miss Larson, sing us a song!" Luke called out.

"What? Me? Sing?" Diana looked startled.

"We heard you singing along during the chorus." Dum Dum added, "All the guys have had a solo before, even Luke here. Now it's your turn."

"Um… do I have to?"

"Aww, come on, Miss Larson," Luke slurred a little. Oh dear… underage drinking…

"Well, okay. Let me think of a song." She took a moment to think of a song that wasn't a Disney song or an inappropriate pop song. Diana began to sing "The Skye Boat Song" or at least the version she knew from the TV series Outlander.

Her situation fit Claire's really well. Both were torn from their time and sent back to a time and place they were completely unfamiliar with and would have little clue how to navigate without help. There was even a terrible, bastard of a villain to contend with and defeat.

This version of the song was very short as she only knew the one verse from the opening sequence. Still, she sang, hoping her life would end up as relatively happy as Claire's had.

When she was finished singing, the Commandos applauded, "That was very nice, Miss Larson." Dum Dum commented,

"I haven't sung in a really long time either." Diana admitted, "I think the last time I had to sing, I was drunk with my girlfriends at a bar."

The Commandos laughed and Dum Dum struck up on his harmonica again. There were a few more songs before Steve ordered the men to take their leave back to base for the rest of the night.

*FMttM*

Bucky dropped her off at her door, "I hope you had a good time."

"Yeah, it was fun, but don't make me sing again. That was embarrassing."

"I thought it was good."

"Yeah, for a strangled cat."

"Don't sell yourself short, dollface." He brushed some of her blonde hair out of her face. Uh oh… Don't head in that direction. Sooo not ready for that.

"You were all better singers than me; Steve's actually really good." Diana smirked, "You think he could sing his theme song from his war bonds days?"

Bucky barked out a laugh, "Probably. 'When Captain America throws his mighty shield, all those who choose to oppose his shield must yield!'... I can't remember the rest."

"Yeah, neither can I. I guess the tune's not as catchy or something."

"Yeah, but it did make him famous."

"True."

Awkward silence.

Diana spoke first, "I guess I should be getting to bed. I had a great time and thanks for teaching me some dance moves."

Bucky grinned, "I was happy to." He took her hand and kissed her knuckles, "See you tomorrow, dollface."

"Whatever, stupid-face."

He left chuckling as she closed her bedroom door behind her.


	4. The Danish Straits: First Mission

**This story is now 620 pages and counting, and I'm in the _Daredevil_ timeline. Yes, Diana does make it to the 21st Century, but I'm not telling you how. Your only clue is in the icon card thingy for this story. Now, there is a part of this that takes place during the comic _Captain America: First Vengeance_. It can be found in four parts on Youtube.**

 **Enjoy!**

*FMttM*

"The furlough lasted a two weeks. Then Colonel Phillips called for the SSR to move out to their next mission. Most everyone was kept in the dark, including Diana.

Although she was sure that Steve and perhaps Bucky knew where they were going (and they probably told the Howling Commandos too). She didn't mind being left out of the loop considering she was usually ahead of the loop with her future knowledge.

They arrived on the Danish Straits on the 12th of April and made camp. Scouting missions began the next day to try to find the HYDRA base.

It was on the eve before the 27th of April that Colonel Phillips approached her, "Nurse Larson, I hope you're doing well."

Diana looked at him suspiciously, "I'm just fine, Colonel. And you?"

"Stressed," he answered truthfully, "but I think we're getting closer to eliminating HYDRA and winning this war."

"Hmmm…" She answered, "What do you need, sir?"

"I want you to go out in the field with the Commandos." Phillips told her.

Diana gawked, "What?!"

"Morita's taken ill. They'll need a field medic for this mission," he informed her, "I need someone other than Captain Rogers to keep the other Commandos in line."

"But… why me? Why not Agent Carter or someone with actual field experience?"

"You doubt my training? Sergeant Barnes' training?"

"No, it's not that." She bit her lip. The Colonel crossed his arms and waited. The silence quickly became uncomfortable, "I-I'm not a fighter, Colonel. I might know how to shoot a gun and fight hand-to-hand, but… in the field? I don't think I'd be able to hurt, much less kill, anyone."

"I know you're stronger than you think. You're a doctor at heart, but sometimes even doctors need to go to war."

Diana paused… She was a war doctor, "'Gallifrey falls no more.'"

"I beg your pardon?"

She smiled at the Colonel, "Nothing. You just reminded me of a really special doctor who was forced to go to war despite being a staunch pacifist."

"I see," the Colonel nodded, "Well, will you answer the call to arms?"

Diana hesitated for a moment. She could only hope she wouldn't encounter any HYDRA soldiers during the mission. "Yes, sir." She answered reluctantly.

"Good. Then be ready at dawn tomorrow to join the Howling Commandos on their mission."

"Yes, sir." She saluted as the Colonel exited the Med Tent.

Diana collapsed into a chair and put her face in her hands, scrubbing. "I don't want to die. Please God, Odin, and Stan Lee, I want to see this all through."

*FMttM*

Pants! Diana was getting to wear pants for the mission! It was probably the most exciting thing she'd experienced since coming to this time and universe. She put her Colt at her hip and practiced a cowboy quick-draw.

"'You have to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do you, punk?'" She growled out after a draw.

"Don't know who you're threatening, but I'd stay out of your way if you were pointing that thing at me." Came a voice behind her, causing her to almost drop her weapon.

Diana spun around, "What?!" Bucky stood there smirking with Steve at his side, "Oh, Bucky, Steve. Hey. I was… uh…" She flushed, "I'm, er, ready to go."

"Need us to carry anything for you?" Steve asked.

"Nah. I'm packing light." She motioned to her gun holster on one hip and a small buttoned pouch on the other that had some a minor survival kit in it just in case.

The Captain nodded in approval, "That's a good idea. We were going to suggest that."

"I'm ready to go when you are."

"Alright. Let's get going." Bucky told her, "The guys are just outside. We've got a bit of a hike ahead of us."

*FMttM*

They were apparently hiking to a castle on the island of Zealand - Krönborg Castle. According to the quiet history lesson briefing Steve had given her, Krönborg had been open to the public as a residence until the Nazis invaded. They, in turn, handed it off to HYDRA who turned the castle into a stronghold for science experiments.  
The Howling Commandos made their way quietly within view of the castle's towers above the trees.

"I'm gonna go in first." Steve said, "I'll give a signal and the rest of you can follow."

"Why can't we all go in there together?" Diana asked.

The Captain smiled wanly, "I can get there faster and quieter than anyone else. I don't want to bring anyone into this needlessly."

"Don't worry, Miss Larson," Dum Dum told her, "the Captain's done this many times before. It's a gut feeling, and we've grown to trust it."

"So… We're just back up?"

"As always," Bucky said, "although it's not unusual for Steve to need help."

"Hey!" The Captain interjected. The Commandos chuckled at Steve's glare at his best friend. The Captain shook his head, "Jerk." Then he straightened and instructed,

"Wait for my signal."

*FMttM*

It was like a stake out, but with complete radio silence. Boring. None of the Commandos spoke except through hand motions which she didn't understand. She was so bored. So, so bored. Although slightly glad that she wouldn't have to actually fight or shoot anyone.

Diana stood and stretched. She had no clue how long they'd been sitting, waiting for Steve's signal. She began to walk around their encampment, a bit antsy. It earned her a raised eyebrow from Bucky, and she stuck out her tongue at him. That earned her a lopsided grin as he switched his sniper rifle to his other shoulder.

Then there was an explosion within sprinting distance of the camp, and immediately all of the Howling Commandos were on their feet, drawing their guns. Diana quickly followed suit and drew her Colt.

Sergeant Barnes made the universal hand motion for "follow me" as he headed off into the woods at a run. Diana was the last to follow, still very hesitant to experience the violence of war. She also hadn't kept up with her physical training over the last month, and soon fell behind the Commandos.

She passed by some wreckage that looked suspiciously like the Iron Monger suit Obadiah Stane would build in 2008. Then, "Vell, vell, vell. Vat have ve here?"  
Shit! Diana swung around with her gun pointed in front of her.

"Oh, come, come now. Fraulein. I'm just here to haf a little chat." The HYDRA Nazi wore round glasses and had a thin blondish-brown mustache, "You are vith the Howling Commandos, ya?"

"Fuck you, you bastard."

"Tut, tut. Fraulein. Such language is not befitting a lady." Her finger twitched at his mocking tone, but couldn't pull the trigger. The HYDRA Nazi laughed, "Looks like you don't haf vat it takes to follow through on your threat."

"Shut up." She tensed.

"Put the gun down, Fraulein." The HYDRA Nazi held out a hand.

"No."

"Please, Fraulein. I only vant to talk. Put it down."

"NO!" She shouted, her fingers tensing.

"PUT IT DOWN!" He struck her arm and her Colt went flying. Diana stumbled back. The HYDRA Nazi took off his glasses and raised his clenched fist, "You vill come vith me, Fraulein. If you don't, you vill not like the consequences." The then quickly grabbed her wrist.

Diana twisted and shrieked as his leather gloved hand rubbed harshly against her skin, "Let go!"

He spun her around and trapped her against him, "Don't fight, Fraulein. It vill only be vorse for you."

Her fingernails dug into her palms and she grit her teeth, "Well, I hope you know how to sing." She elbowed him in the solar plexus as hard as she could, then stomped on his instep. Diana felt him let go, and she spun around to face him, swinging her fist. It connected with his nose. This was followed quickly by a knee to the groin.

As the HYDRA Nazi struggled to regain his composure holding his bloodied nose, Diana dove toward her Colt. She landed on the ground and scrambled for her weapon.

"You vill pay for dat." He lurched toward her with a bloodied hand outstretched to grab her as Diana gripped the Colt and rolled onto her back to see the HYDRA Nazi standing over her, reaching down. She screamed and...

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Over and over.

Click, Click, Click, Click.

The man slumped to the ground, "Hail… HYDRA…" He rasped his last words.

Diana sat up to get a better look. The man's blue-gray eyes were glassy and unseeing. His face was spattered with blood. All she could do was stare. "I did this…" She barely heard herself whisper. Diana leaned forward as her breath quickened. Her Colt forgotten at her side, "I did this. I killed a human being. I did this." She wretched and then vomited. Her breath came quick and she needed to get away from the body. Away. Away. Away.

Her back hit the metal suit that looked like Iron Monger. There she sat, her arms wrapped around her as she rocked back and forth.

It wasn't long before, "Diana!" Bucky was calling for her.

"I'm here." She whispered, and of course they couldn't hear her.

"Miss Larson!" This time it was Dum Dum.

"H-here!" Her voice was louder, but she wasn't sure if they heard her.

The other Commandos echoed the call for her. However, Bucky added, "Diana! Where are you!?"

"Here!" She was finally able to shout, but her voice cracked, "I'm over here!"

Moments later, the Commandos minus Steve appeared around the other side of the armored suit.

"Hey, dollface, are you -" Bucky cut himself off as his eyes darted between her and the body of the HYDRA Nazi not far away from her. He squatted down, "Come on, sweetheart," he murmured gently as he wiped away some of the blood spatter on her face, "we gotta get out of here. Can you stand?"

"Yeah," she replied.

The Sergeant stood and pulled her up with him. "Everything's gonna be okay." He soothed in her ear. "You did good, Diana."

"I killed someone." She told him, her voice barely audible.

"He was HYDRA."

"I killed a living human being, Bucky. How am I supposed to live with that?"

"One day at a time, sweetheart. It's what we all have to do." He reassured her, "Come on. We've gotta run. This place is gonna blow."

Diana nodded and took a step away from the Sergeant. They broke into a sprint with the other Commandos following behind, covering their escape.

They soon got back to their encampment, and Diana fell to her knees, trembling. Her fingers dug into the dirt as she grit her teeth. "I'm sorry." She whispered to the man she should have hated because of what he stood for, but couldn't because he was human and alive, and even though he was probably a nasty man, judging by his actions during their short meeting and the fact that he was a HYDRA Nazi, he had been born to parents who probably loved him, had gone to school, had perhaps flirted with girls as a teenager, and now… Now he was dead. Dead. DEAD.

There was an explosion in the distance, at the castle, but Diana barely heard it as she tried to prevent herself from crying in front of the Commandos. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she swung around with a punch ready to hurt the HYDRA Nazi.

Bucky took a step back, lifting his hand away, "Woah, hey. Just me, dollface."

"Sorry."

He gave her a compassionate look, "Don't worry about it. I know you didn't want to come here to hurt anyone." He squatted and reached out a hand to her shoulder.

"The first one's always the worst. It'll get better."

"I don't want it to get better!" She shouted fiercely, "It will never, ever be better!"

The Sergeant made a shushing motion as he nodded, "I know. We'll be out of here soon, but we have to wait for Steve. Think you can check the guys for injuries? I doubt there's anything more than a scratch or a bruise, but it doesn't hurt to check."

Diana nodded. It might take her mind off of what she did.

Steve arrived moments after she'd finished checking the Commandos. He was dirty and bloody from fighting, and Diana insisted on inspecting him. Acting as the medic took her mind off of what she'd done. Block it out. Block it out.

However, on the hike back to base, she was alone in her thoughts - the Commandos still in radio silence except for the quick transmission through Morse Code to Colonel Phillips to report on the mission.

Diana could only reflect on her own actions. She had killed someone. A person. A human being. Someone who was once living and now was dead, by her hand. She pulled the trigger. She had killed a person.

Diana startled when she felt a hand on the small of her back. She looked over to see Bucky looking at her, concerned. She stared at him for a moment before turning her gaze to the ground. Soon, she felt the other Commandos moving closer to her, protective of their medic who had just taken a life for the first time.

Diana was in such a daze throughout the march that she didn't realize how far they had walked until they had arrived at the base.

Bucky squeezed her shoulder and she tensed, "Hey, sweetheart, we're back. We're safe." His voice was soft and soothing.

"Yeah…" She rasped, "I think… I think I need to be alone for a little while."

"I'm sure the Colonel will want to move out soon."

"Okay." Diana retreated to her Medical Tent.

*FMttM*

Diana was plagued by nightmares of the HYDRA Nazi coming back to life and killing her, killing the Commandos, and worst of all, the HYDRA Nazi would torture Bucky until he became the Winter Soldier and then HYDRA used that Asset to kill her. "You deserve it, Fraulein." He told her every single time before she woke up in a cold sweat.

So she stayed in her Med Tent as much as she could as they travelled to Italy and set up basecamp in a sheltered area relatively close to the coastline. Diana busied herself with reading and rereading the medical texts the Doc had left behind and treating various superficial wounds.

Quite a few of the SSR soldiers and Commandos came back with minor injuries after scouting missions, so she seemed to see at least one or more of them on a daily basis. However, in the middle of May, she treated Falsworth, Dum Dum, and Jacques for some broken ribs, lacerations, and mild burns from an explosion on a submarine. Despite their small talk, she rarely spoke to them about anything except their medical condition.

She was just so tired.

Nearly a week after the submarine mission Dum Dum was the last to be released, and before he left, he put his hand on Diana's shoulder, "Hey, what's been going on with you? You're all quiet and monosyllabic."

She stared at him, "It's nothing, Sergeant Dugan. You're free to go." She began to walk away.

"Oh no you don't." He grabbed her arm as she turned, "Something's wrong. You're always encouraging me and the guys to talk about what's happened to us, you even got that kid Murdock to talk to Bucky and Steve about his time in the tender mercies of HYDRA. Now it's your turn to talk to someone. So talk."

Diana clenched her jaw, "There's nothing to talk about."

"Bull shit." Dum Dum shot back, "Pardon my French, but something's been bothering you since Denmark, I've heard whimpering and soft weeping coming from your quarters somethings during the night, and I can only think of one thing that happened that would make a person clam up like you have. Come on, Diana, you can tell Big Brother Dum Dum." He patted the cot beside him.

"There's no way out of this, is there?"

"Nope. You can't just hole yourself up like you have been. We've been holding Barnes back from confronting you so you'd have time to come to terms with what happened back there, but… you just retreat into yourself. You've told us not to do that, so I'm telling you - don't do that."

"Yeah." Diana sat and stared at the floor.

"Killing's never easy, even when they're the enemy." Dum Dum squeezed her shoulder, "I won't tell you it gets easier because it doesn't. Not for people like us. But people who turn to HYDRA - they don't care about life, yours, mine, or anybody's. They're selfish and greedy and they use others for their own dark purposes."

"I still killed someone - a human being."

"Think of the evilest person you can imagine - whether real or fictional. Think of that person." Dum Dum paused to let her think, "Do they deserve to live? Especially if they don't feel any regret or remorse for anything they did? Should they keep on living to hurt others mentally or physically?"

"It's not my place to say. It should be up to the justice system, if it works right." Diana murmured. She glanced at Dum Dum. He had just shaven due to stitches on his upper lip, and his mustache hadn't grown back yet. She realized something. "Oh my god…" In another universe, Dum Dum was a villain, just the type he had described - non-repentant and revelling in the evils he did with any pawns he could find.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head, "Nothing, Just thinking about what you said..."

She could see the villain Damien Darhk in Sergeant Dum Dum Dugan, at least his looks were the same. In that DC CW TV universe, the Green Arrow had barely been able to kill Darhk due to his League of Assassins skills and magic powered by blood…. But the hero did it for the good of Star City and his world. Darhk had been so powerful that there was no way to contain him completely; there was only one way to get rid of him - death. That villain had been twisted by his long use of a totem so much so that his only redeeming qualities had been the love (Did he truly love them? That might be up for debate.) he had for his wife and daughter. However, when it all came down to it, when Darhk had lost those two people, there was no going back, there was no living for him.

"I can see your point. There are some that just… must be…" Diana couldn't finish the thought.

"Yeah." Dum Dum agreed, "I had trouble when I first joined the army, but after seeing the cruelty of HYDRA first hand I just knew that someone had to do something to get rid of this evil." He paused and took a good look at her, "I know it's hard to talk about this stuff. I usually need a drink or twenty before I start spilling my secrets."

She was quiet for a while, wringing her hands. She had to start somewhere, "I was running after the rest of the Commandos, but it'd been awhile since I'd had to run that hard and that much, so I fell behind," Diana paused, "I got within sight of the castle, and I saw a destroyed armored suit thing. That's when he…" She choked.

Dum Dum rubbed her back but stayed silent to allow her time to continue, "I don't know what he was gonna do. I don't really care what he was gonna do. I knew - I just KNEW - he was HYDRA. I couldn't do it at first, you know. It wasn't until… He left me with no choice. He was going to… so I…" Diana raised her hand, as if pointing a gun at the imaginary HYDRA agent in her mind's eye. Her index finger squeezed the 'trigger' several times before she sucked in a ragged breath, "I did it…" She put her face in her hands, "I…" Tears began to roll down her face, and she scrubbed at them, tried to hide them from Dum Dum, turning away a little.

"Don't… don't do that." He said softly, pulling her hands away from her face, "Just let it out. Cry. It's okay to cry, especially about something like this."

So she did. Diana grieved for the man the HYDRA agent could have been if he hadn't joined that horrible Nazi Science Division. She leaned against Dum Dum as he murmured over and over and rubbed her back in circular motions, "It's okay, kid. It's gonna be okay."

After a short time, Diana couldn't cry anymore, but she continued to lean on Dum Dum. "I'm a killer. A murderer."

"You're not." Dum Dum told her fervently, "You had to defend yourself in extenuating circumstances. It's our fault for not making sure you were with us. It's our fault you were attacked. We were supposed to look after you on that mission, and we failed you." He looked at her with regret, "You were brave, and I'm impressed that you held yourself together long enough for us to find you afterwards."

"Where do I even go from here?" She asked quietly.

"There's only one thing you can do - move forward," he answered, "You'll carry this with you forever, but you don't have to carry it by yourself. We've all gone through our first kills, and we've had to deal with everything you're going through. Don't shut us out, Diana. You're part of our team, our family, and we'd trust you with our lives anywhere, anytime."

"Thanks, Dum Dum," she pulled away and scrubbed at her face again. Her hands were smeared with the light mascara she usually applied to try to hide the black and blue bags under her eyes, "I must look terrible."

Dum Dum chuckled, "Most people do after a good cry. What, you think you'd look like Greta Garbo after that?"

The blonde had no clue who Greta Garbo was, but she assumed the woman was someone famous. She smiled, "I don't think I'm pretty enough to be an actress, even on my best days."

"Don't sell yourself short, kid." Dum Dum patted her shoulder.

"I better get cleaned up."

"It's almost suppertime. Want to emerge from your hole you've dug for yourself?"

"Yeah. Just wait for me."

"Sure thing, kid."

*FMttM*

"HEY!" Diana was greeted by multiple smiling Commandos at once as she entered the Mess with Dum Dum.

She smiled, "Hi, guys." Dum Dum pulled out a chair for her, and she plopped down, "Thanks, Dum Dum." A plate quickly appeared from her right. The SSR had restocked on fresh food from a small town near their camp, and they had some good meat (salted and dried to last longer), fruit, and vegetables.

"How're you doing, Diana?" Steve asked. His brow was creased with concern, "We haven't seen you around much outside of the Med Tent."

Diana grimaced a little, "I was having some issues with what happened back in Denmark." She saw Bucky's expression darken as the other Commandos nodded in understanding, "I kept it to myself because you guys have enough to deal with as it is with hunting down HYDRA than to worry about me. But Dum Dum got me to talk. It's… better for now."

"Please don't do that again," Bucky told her, "We support each other 'til the end of the line." He sent a bittersweet smile toward Steve.

"Thanks Bucky, thanks all of you. I sometimes need someone to knock some sense into me."

"We're just glad that you've come back out." Steve told her, "It must've been hard to deal with your first - er - time in the field."

"And my first kill."

The Captain gave a small, sad, but compassionate smile, "Yeah. Especially that."

"It's a lot, but I want to try to put it behind me."

"Good."


	5. Dover Castle: Letters from the Front

**Here's a new chapter. I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. The _Captain America: The First Avenger_ arc is soon going to come to an end. Then the real fun begins. It's shorter than usual, although I plan to expand in my second draft.**

 **Enjoy and review!**

Their travel from Italy to a safe location to cross back to England took them almost two weeks, finally arriving at Dover on June 2. Colonel Phillips would only tell the SSR that their next mission could be the turning point in this war should the battle(s) be successful.

After a briefing on the 3rd, the mission was all any of the SSR soldiers and the Commandos could talk about, albeit in hushed tones. Surprisingly, Diana had actually heard of it in history class. Operation Overlord - later known afterwards as D-Day - June 6, 1944. The Commandos were to return to England and meet with troops at the Dover Castle tunnels to prepare themselves for a launch onto the battlefield across the Channel. According to the whispers, the SSR and Commandos would be taking on a regiment of Wehrmacht Nazi Soldiers, many of whom had affiliations with HYDRA.

Diana was also quickly recruited into the hospital for wounded soldiers in Dover Castle. She would have to stay there during the entire Operation and longer when the wounded from the beaches of Normandy were returned to England and safety.

The Commandos prepared to move out very early in the morning on June 6 - between 4 AM and 5 AM - so that they could arrive at their designated destination at the same time as the troops on the Normandy beaches. They began loading the LCVP amphibious landing vehicles even earlier - around 12 AM.

Diana stood on the shores of Dover helping them load supplies - guns, ammo, and armor - for not only the Commandos' vehicle but also several other troops' vehicles.

Just before the Commandos were set to leave, Bucky caught her as she was loading some ammo supplies for another regiment.

"Hey, Diana, I wanted to talk to you before we leave." He told her.

"I can't stop, Buck, so talk as I go." She informed him as she grabbed another backpack.

But Bucky turned her toward him, "This is important, dollface." Her face scrunched up at the nickname, and that caused him to give a quick smile before continuing, "I didn't want to leave without seeing you. I know you won't tell me if we come back or not, and you may not even know for sure, but I just wanted to let you know -"

"Sergeant Barnes!" The Colonel called from not far away, "If you don't come now… well, you know what happens!" The threat, although empty, was enough to make Bucky cut himself short.

He sighed in regret, "There's no time to say what I want to, but if I come back… _when_ I come back, I want to take you out dancing. Just you and me this time, and in London, not on base." Bucky lifted his hand to her cheek and ran his thumb across her cheekbone, "Wait for me." He said softly before turning away.

"Bucky," Diana grabbed his arm. She saw his eyes spark as he straightened when he faced her, "no matter what happens out there, I will find you. Always."

The smile that lit up his face was as wide as any of the happiest grins she'd seen from him, crinkling his eyes. He took a step forward.

"Sergeant Barnes! Now!" The Colonel called again.

With a glance toward his CO, Bucky scowled and slowly backed away, "I'll see you when I get back." He turned and jogged toward the Commandos. It was obvious that the Colonel gently reprimanded him for the delay, but she saw both of them glance in her direction, and Phillips had a slight smirk on his face. The Sergeant glanced back at her once more before striding towards his comrades.

*FMttM*

News came back to Dover that Operation Overlord had been successful, and the Allies were slowly pushing the Nazis back. The Commandos were sent to aid the rest of the divisions as HYDRA had sporadically appeared with tech the non-specialist Divisions couldn't handle.

Diana only saw the injured coming back to Dover. Some died en route. Others died on the surgery table. Still others moaned in their cots until they either slipped away or began to heal. Some of the doctors and nurses-the ones who had actually gone to 20th Century medical school-helped her become a much better nurse. She helped with surgeries as the doctor's assistant, and encouraged the use of the new antibiotic penicillin to prevent infection.

It was then that the first letter arrived, and it came as a surprise to Diana. The officer in charge of distributing the mail called out her name and handed her a letter. Diana sat at her table in the Mess with some of the other nurses and opened the envelope to see who was writing her. At a guess, she had three choices: Steve, Peggy, or Bucky.

The handwriting was in cursive, neat and narrow.

 ** _Dear Diana,_**

 ** _I decided to sit down and write a letter to you when our mission was done. I don't know if you'll even get to read this or when you'll get to read this, but just know that everyone is safe with no major injuries. So, don't worry about us. Morita's taking good care of us in your absence._**

 ** _You are missed, though. Sometimes when I walk into the Mess, I think I see you sitting at a table for just a moment. I blink, and I'm reminded that you're in Dover, hundreds of miles from here. You're safer there, though, and I'm glad you're in a safe place and not on the front lines. Still,_ _[scribble]_ _we miss you._**

 ** _Steve, Colonel Phillips, and Agent Carter have been working hard on figuring out where to go on our next mission. HYDRA does live up to its motto: Cut off one head, two more take its place. I remember studying Greek mythology in school, and the only one to defeat a hydra was Heracles. I hope we won't need that kind of demigod hero to defeat our HYDRA._**

 ** _The journalists that have been following us since our victory in London are annoying. Steve's lectured several of us about cursing when those reporters are around. Apparently I'm the worst offender (he's one to talk). So, I try to tone it down. I've slipped up a couple times and let loose some curses that would make your hair curl (Don't curl your hair. I like it as it is). I wish these journalists would just leave us to do our job. These guys aren't very well trained for battle conditions. I've had to save a reporter's ass a couple times because he was being dumber than Steve was back in Brooklyn._**

 ** _Anyway, I'm not allowed to tell you much about where we are or what our plans are because I'm sure it would get redacted before you get this letter. I hope the SSR can send for you soon._**

 ** _Yours,_**

 ** _Bucky_**

Diana reread the letter and smiled. When she returned to her quarters, she tucked the letter under her pillow and, each night before going to bed, she would pull it out and read it.

*FMttM*

The fighting in northern France continued into July. News arrived that the Commandos had become a part of Operation Cobra, something which made Diana do a spit-take when she was told that Bucky, and not the Captain, would be leading half the Commandos plus several SSR soldiers on this mission while the other half went with the Captain to free the prisoners in concentration camps.

Well, that was fitting. Bucky-who in another universe was called Jefferson, the Mad Hatter-was trying to help make Operation Cobra successful.

She also received another letter.

 **Hey dollface,**

 **We're back in France where we first met. I can't say where because I know it'll get redacted. Actually I don't even know if that first sentence is something I can write without it getting blacked out. We're going to head to another mission soon. Colonel Phillips has been talking about it with Steve and Agent Carter. I may not be able to go to the meetings, but Steve's bad at keeping secrets from me and has given me a briefing on our next mission… which I won't write down because it'll just get blacked out.**

 **I hope you're doing alright. I know that hospitals can be chaotic. I wish you were here, though. I've found myself going to the mobile medical unit to see you, only to realize that when I get closer that you wouldn't be there.**

 **I wish I could give you an address so you could write back and we could have an actual conversation, but I guess my letters to you will have to do and I'll just have to imagine your answer until we come get you. And we will come get you, I promise.**

 **I hope it's soon.**

 **Yours,**

 **Bucky**

Soon, Operation Cobra blended in to Operation Dragoon in mid-August with Bucky's and Steve's groups reuniting to push toward southern France. News came on August 27 to Dover that Paris had been liberated and the Allies would slowly move east to continue driving back the Nazis.

She also received another letter.

 **Dear Diana,**

 **It's cold where we are, but we've had another mission success! HYDRA's drawing back from the usual front lines, just like the Nazis.**

 **I'm sorry I can't write more. We're moving out soon. There's a rumor going around that you might be coming back to us for Christmas.**

 **I hope so.**

 **Yours,**

 **Bucky**

Toward the middle of December, Diana received orders from Colonel Phillips all the way from Aachen, Germany - wherever that was. She was to come meet them (with Howard Stark flying her there). Phillips left little clues informing her that the SSR would soon be scouting a HYDRA base in the Alps, and the SSR needed their secondary medic on hand, just in case.

Oh god… She remembered that the train scene took place in the mountains. What if this was it? What if this was the end of Sergeant Bucky Barnes? Could she just let that happen? Phillips would never allow her to go on a mission of this magnitude considering the disaster that was her previous and only mission. There was very little chance that she could stop the fall of Sergeant Barnes and the rise of the Winter Soldier.

*FMttM*

The Howling Commandos were packing up to go meet the train in the Alps. Diana knew it would be the final time she would ever see Bucky unless she stopped him from going.

"Sergeant Barnes, I need to speak with you, please." She said in front of the Commandos.

He smiled at her, "Sure thing, dollface."

"Come with me." She led him a little ways off, and hopefully beyond hearing distance of the Captain's super soldier hearing. Diana turned to Bucky, "Bucky, don't go."

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" He asked, concerned.

"I know I said I wouldn't say anything about the future, but this is too important. Don't go, Bucky. If you do, you'll fall from the train, your left arm will be ripped off, you'll be captured by Soviet Soldiers, tortured, brainwashed your memories are completely gone, put in cryosleep, then found by HYDRA, given a Vibranium arm, and turned into an assassin who will kill far too many people including Howard Stark over the next seventy years. I can't let that happen to you, I won't!"

"You don't know that." Bucky told her quietly, "I'm sure things have changed since you got here. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't feel the way I do if you weren't here."

"Please, Bucky, don't go."

"You know I have to, sweetheart. It's my duty." He replied, "I have Steve's back 'til the end of the line. It's a promise I intend to keep."

"Then don't go on the train." She hugged him, "Don't do anything stupid like hang out the train door."

His left hand stroked her hair, "I can't promise anything like that, Diana."

She buried her face in his chest, "I don't want to have to let you go. I don't want to have to wait seventy years to see you again. Please… Please…" Diana started to cry.

"I'm going, Diana. I'm sorry."

Her hands clenched his back. "Bucky…"

Suddenly his hand tightened in her hair and pulled. Diana screamed and looked up at Bucky with a tear streaked face. But what she saw horrified her. His dark brown hair was long and partially covering his eyes, which were flinty and blank. "B-Bucky?"

He growled, "This is all your fault. You did this to me." He wrenched her head so she could see the silver shoulder of his left arm.

"Stop… Bucky… Please…"

"I can't believe you let this happen to me. Why did you even come here? It's all your fault! You could've stopped this! You bitch!" He hissed.

"Don't! Please!' She begged.

The Winter Soldier raised his flesh hand to her neck, "I'll enjoy killing you myself. After all, it's the best revenge for what you've done to me." He squeezed as his metal hand kept her head tilted so he could look her in the eyes.

*FMttM*

Diana gasped awake only to realize that she was still on the plane to the Alps with Howard Stark at the helm.

"You okay, Miss Larson?" Stark glanced back from the pilot's seat.

She rubbed her face, which actually had tear tracks on it. She sniffed and coughed, "I'm okay, Mr. Stark. It was a bad dream."

"Sorry to hear that. But now that you're awake, you can come and sit up in the co-pilot's seat." Stark requested, "It'll still be a while before we get to the base."

"How long?" Diana asked as she moved slowly, keeping one hand on the wall of the plane.

"Eh," he shrugged, "about another hour or so. I can't fly too high or too low, or I'll get spotted by the Jerries."

She plopped down on the co-pilot seat and strapped herself back in, "I've never been in the cockpit of a plane before."

"Really? I'd've thought you'd have flown hundreds of times."

"Well, yeah, but the pilots have to close up the cockpit tight during flight. It's for security. Heck, they even have to have two different in-flight meals to make sure they don't get food poisoning."

"That's actually pretty smart."

"Yeah, it is. Security on planes was really heightened on 9/11."

"What happened on 9/11?" Stark asked. Diana debated whether to tell him or not, but remembered that the Winter Soldier would be ordered to kill him and his wife in the '90s. Would it matter? Would he even remember to tell Tony or write it down somewhere? Stark glanced in her direction, "You don't have to tell me, you know."

"Nah. It's just kind of horrific and horrible. I was a little when it happened," she told him, "so all my information is second hand and from the rebroadcasting of the news to commemorate that date." She paused, "Basically, terrorists crashed two planes into the World Trade Center - two very important towers in New York City - and then one into the Pentagon. You know what that is?"

"It was just finished a couple years ago." Stark informed her.

"Okay, good. Anyway, a fourth plane was on its way to the Capitol Building, but the passengers fought back and they crashed into a field." Diana continued, "It's one of the most horrible tragedies to happen on US soil since Pearl Harbor."

Stark sighed, "It never stops, does it? These people who hate us because they have nothing better to do than spread hate and fear."

"Yeah… so, yeah… that's why pilots keep themselves locked in a cockpit now during flight."

"Well, now I'm depressed." Stark frowned, "Does anything happy happen in the future?"

"Well, yeah, of course." Diana paused to think. Positive things… positive things... "Technology advances. Communication advances. Getting into space and landing on the moon. Women getting into the workforce. Black people get equal rights. We get our first black president too!"

"Really?" Stark raised an eyebrow, "Huh. Who'd've thought. A black president."

"Yup. Some major historical things happen at the end of this century and the beginning of the next. Despite everything terrible that's happened, some pretty amazing things have… uh… happened too."

"Nice. I hope I'll be around to see it." Stark smiled.

They sat in silence for a little while so the billionaire could focus on flying. It seemed pretty straightforward, as long as you knew which buttons to push, dials to turn, and other stuff like that.

"You know, when all this started - the serum with Erskine, Rogers changing from a scrawny kid to Captain America," he imitated an announcer's voice when he said 'Captain America' before continuing normally, "I really didn't think I'd be a consultant to a special army force starring the guy."

Diana smiled. Like father like son. "Well, you did give Steve his shield. That metal could be used for so much more, you know."

"Too bad it's so rare." Stark replied, "Wakanda is a bit stingy with its Vibranium exports. The only reason we got some was because the metal was donated to the United States Army from the King of Wakanda because the President couldn't accept it. It wasn't enough to make a suit of armor, but a shield, well, that's turned out pretty good so far."

"I think it's more Steve than anything else."

"He's a good man."

Diana nodded in agreement, "Yeah."

"Hey, what about you and Barnes? I seem to remember some doe eyes back at that pub." Stark teased.

She bit her lip and squeezed her hands together, "It was nothing." She examined the wrinkles in her pant leg.

"Aw, come on. That was not nothing. No one dances like that, looking at each other like that and have it be nothing. Hell, I wish I had something like that."

"Knock it off, Stark. I don't want to talk about it."

A worried frown crossed his face, "Did something bad happen between you two while I was gone? I mean, Barnes has mostly been at the frontlines, so I don't think too much could happen between then and now."

"Leave it alone."

"No, something's not right. First you have a bad dream, and then you won't answer any of my questions about your relationship with Barnes. Come on."

"Because I know what's gonna happen, Stark!" She shouted at him, "I know, and I can't do anything about it! It's horrible; it's terrible. Even if I try to do something about it, he'll do his duty and that'll lead… that'll lead him to…" She put her face in her hands, "I just can't handle knowing sometimes, and I feel like I'm going crazy… mad as a hatter." She chortled manically at her reference in her distress.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Stark asked.

Diana looked at him, "There's not too much you can do unless you can stop the next mission."

"Ah… So, you know that Barnes is gonna die on this mission, don't you." Stark concluded, "That's why you're so upset. You've got feelings for him, and you know he's gonna die. Damn."

"Yeah." She nodded. He had it mostly right, although becoming the Winter Soldier was probably way worse than death.

"Well, then you should make damn sure you make the most of the time you have left with him." Stark advised, "At least you'll have some good memories of him. I mean, Christmas is right around the corner."

"I have no money." She pointed out.

"Darling, look who you're talking to." He gave her an exasperated look, "I've got so much money, I don't even know what to do with most of it. Hell, I could probably MAKE you something for him."

"No." Diana answered. She didn't want the Soviets or HYDRA to get their hands on anything that was specifically for Bucky. It would most likely be either used against him to torture his mind or disintegrated along with the rest of his belongings after falling from the train.

"No? Why not?"

Diana looked out the side window of the cockpit, "Officially, he'll be MIA, presumed dead." She admitted.

"Oh… I see." Stark looked thoughtful, "Then take him to a pub or take him dancing. Make memories, like I said."

"Yeah… It's pretty much all I can do… create memories before…" She trailed off, "before Winter comes."

"That sounded oddly ominous."

"Is there even a village or town nearby?" Diana asked.

"I'm sure there is. It might be a few miles away, but it would be within driving distance."

"Okay. I'll think on it."

"I'll make sure there's mistletoe." Stark gave her a wicked grin.

"Stark!" She blushed and really wanted to punch his arm, but the seats were a little too far away for that so her hand swiped air. He just laughed.


	6. The Alps: The Train

**Infinity War... (ugly crying ensues along with shouting profanities at Thanos - character note: Diana will be PISSED as hell!)**

 **Christmas is here and then the mission. I am drawing out the lead up to Bucky's Fall a bit, since there was no specific date for the mission. I took a guess using the MCU wiki (which I've used heavily for the story in general). There are some important things that happen before that, which is why it took so long to get here.**

 **Read! Enjoy! Review!**

*FMttM*

They landed on one of the few plains halfway up in the mountains and only a few miles or kilometers by truck to the nearest village.

Colonel Phillips was there to greet them, "It's good of you to come. I'm sure Dover was getting a little boring."

She saluted to the Colonel, "It's nice to be back with some familiar faces," Diana answered as she, Stark and Phillips strode toward headquarters.

"The base is pretty much as you remember it. Nothing's out of place." Phillips told her, "It's good to have you back. Our sub-medic just wasn't the same."

"Thanks, Colonel." She answered with a smile, "I appreciate your confidence in my skills."

"Considering all the training you got in the past year, you're probably even better than you were when we found you."

"Oh definitely."

"You read the brief on your way here?"

"No, but I already know what it is. There's only one mission in the Alps." Diana replied, "Zola's train."

"That's right. However, we're not going to move out until January." Philips informed her, "It takes a while to scout out the tracks and narrow down when and where the train is going to pass. The Commandos are also trying to figure out the best placed to board a speeding train. Not the easiest thing, even for a super soldier."

"True. I guess that gives me some time to settle in."

"And celebrate Christmas." Stark added.

She smiled a little, "And celebrate Christmas."

"You hungry?" The Colonel asked, "Chow's just around the corner, unless you'd like to unpack first."

"I don't have much stuff." Diana shrugged her shoulders so that her army issue backpack jiggled, "I can carry it for a little longer."

"Well, we ain't got anything special, you know." Phillips glanced at Stark, "Standard issue and no fancy pants stuff."

"I can deal." The scientist replied nonchalantly, "My stuff's still on the plane 'cause I figured a meal would come first… considering the time."

"Okay, then. We're heading to the Mess. I've been standing out in the cold for two hours waiting for you." Diana stifled a chuckle, causing the Colonel to give her a sideways glare, "It's not funny, Miss Larson."

"Oh, no, it's not you. It's just… the parallels." Her gaze flicked to Stark and back to the Colonel.

Phillips arched an eyebrow, "Am I ever going to understand that reference?"

Diana frowned, "No, I don't think so. It's too far in the future."

"Will I understand that reference?" Stark asked.

She sighed, wishing she hadn't explained herself, "Uh… Unfortunately no. Not as far as I know. You'd probably be over 100 years old if you did."  
"Oh… so around 2010?"

"2008."

"Huh."

Phillips opened the wooden door to the Mess, "Chow time."

Some SSR soldiers looked toward the door, including the Howling Commandos from their designated table.

"Diana!" Several voices called out in greeting.

"Hey guys. I'm going to get some food. Save a seat for me?"

"There's always a seat for you, dollface." Bucky's grin was wide and bright.

"Good." She smiled back at him.

The meal wasn't anything unusual. It was the same as she'd been getting in Dover, although there were fewer fruits and veggies.

Diana plopped down at the Commandos' table between Bucky and Dum Dum. "So, what've you guys been up to?"

"Oh nothing much." Dum Dum answered, "Gabe and Morita here has been doing some recon on the train tracks where things look promising for a boarding, Cap and Buck have been trying to figure out how to get on the train. The rest of us have been scouting the tracks to the north and south."

"Sounds exciting."

"Not really." Bucky told her, "It's actually kind of boring."

"Your part might be boring." Gabe scoffed, "We get to go mountain climbing."

"Are you sure the train will be coming through here soon? I mean, it could be months." Diana took a bite of food.

"The SSR has tracked the route of the train." Steve informed her, "The route hasn't changed in the past year and a half, and the next cycle right coming by right here will be in January. Colonel Phillips has sent out SSR soldiers to track the train visually since the Intel from other troops doesn't always get to us."

"Oh, I see."

"So, what've you been doing?" Bucky asked, "Did they treat you okay at Dover?"

"Yeah. They did." Diana replied, "I saw some things that I never want to see again, but all in all, I'm dealing okay."

"You sure?" Dum Dum asked at the same time Bucky had opened his mouth to probably ask a similar question.

"Well, the blood and the guts is part of the job. It made me a little sick at first - the worse ones," she admitted, "but I got used to the sights and smells." She looked down at her mostly eaten food, "And now I've lost my appetite."

Dum Dum grimaced, "Sorry, Diana."

She shrugged, "Dover fed me too well anyway. I could lose some weight."

"I think you look just fine." Bucky murmured just loud enough for her to hear.

Diana glanced sideways at him, acknowledging his comment, "The food's the same as always, though. I'm surprised you guys aren't down to hardtack and gruel by now." She teased.

"We almost got there," Falsworth told her, "just before we made camp, our supplies were running low. We were able to get some fresh food from the town nearby."

"It's a nice town." Gabe added, "Although they're not too used to foreigners. Bucky had to translate for us since his German is much better than ours."

"I've got a talent for tongues." Bucky could barely keep a straight face as his eyes sparked with mischief.

Diana felt her face start to heat up, so she stood, "Okay. I think when the innuendos come out, that's my cue to leave." She swung up her backpack. She noticed that Steve's face was a little red too and he was glaring at his best friend, "I need to unpack anyway."

"Need any help?" Dum Dum asked.

"I have a backpack. Everything else was extra or you already had with you for your sub-medic." She told him, "I think I'll be okay. Thanks, though."

*FMttM*

Almost everything in the Med Tent was put in place as she liked. It was like coming home. Diana sat on her bed and opened her backpack to take out her extra sets of clothes and toiletries. She noticed that a trunk had been placed near the foot of her bed, and within were all of her belongings that she hadn't kept in Dover. She placed her folded clothes on top of the outfits in the trunk before putting her backpack inside and closing the lid.

Diana lay back on her bed, "Well, you're back in the timeline. It's only a month before you never see Bucky again, and Steve's freezing flight can't be too far away." She sighed and rubbed her face, "Don't fuck anything up now."

Then there was a knock at her door. She got up and opened it, "Hey."

Bucky stood on the other side, "Hey, sorry about what I said earlier. It's been awhile since we've been around ladies, and I didn't think before I talked."

"Yeah, well, that's okay. I've heard way worse. Some drunk guy in college grabbed my ass." She told him, letting him come into the room. She turned and walked toward a cot so they could sit because she was damn tired, "I think I smacked him in the face, although I was pretty drunk at the party too. It probably wasn't my best moment."

"Then you won't mind if things get a lot worse for you." His voice growled, causing Diana to spin around as she heard a click.

Like a continuation or repeat of her dream on the plane, the Winter Soldier in Bucky's place with his long hair, his mask over his mouth and his eyes greased. "No…" She tried to step away from the gun pointed at her. His left hand shot out and grabbed her in a vibranium grip. "Please, don't!" Her nails scrabbled against the unyielding metal fingers.  
He dragged her closer, "You did this to me, Diana Larson." His clear blue eyes flamed with rage. "It's all your fault. You had a chance to stop it and you didn't even warn me. Now look at me. You made yourself a monster, a machine, an asset." His gaze narrowed, "Now you'll pay the price for your arrogance." He pressed the gun against her forehead.

Tears leaked from her eyes, "It hasn't happened yet. It really hasn't. Please, don't shoot me." She begged.

"Hail HYDRA." The Winter Soldier snarled as he pulled the trigger.

GASP!

Diana woke in her cot in the Medical Tent. Her hand landed on her pillow, which she realized was damp. She had actually been crying. Then there was a knock at her door, and she froze. Who was on the other side of that door? Was she still in a dream? Was this some sort of inception?

Swallowing, Diana stood and smoothed out her clothes, which she hadn't changed out of before falling asleep. She tiptoed toward the door, "Who is it?"

"Diana, it's Steve. I heard some distressed noises coming from here and thought I'd check on you."

She opened the door, "Steve, hey."

The Captain saw her condition and immediately frowned, "What happened?"

"I fell asleep. Had a nightmare." She replied.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It involves future stuff."

"Well, you can tell me what you can. I think it'll help. Use code names if you have to." He told her, "Come on. Let's sit down and I'll get you some water." He led her to one of the cots in the main room before going over to a pitcher that always had water in it and poured her a glass.

"Why are you up so late? What time is it anyway?"

"It's almost 0300 hours." He replied and returned to hand her the water, "I just came back from patrol with Jacques and Morita. The rest of the guys have been sleeping in the barracks."

Diana stared at her water, "Okay."

Steve sat down next to her, "So, tell me about this nightmare."

"I've had it before. It's similar - the same people involved." She told him, "There's something that happens in the future, the near future, that I'm one hundred percent certain that even if I said something he'd still go on the mission. It'll be my fault… what happens to him after. His future is haunting me because I know all about the pain and suffering he'll have to go through before finally regaining his freedom. And he's too stubborn to abandon his duty even if I told him all about it."

"If you tell him, at least he'll know."

"It's not that comforting knowing, though. And what if, in the future, he comes and takes his revenge, deeming his pain my fault? What if you think it's my fault? Or maybe his handlers want him to cut all connections to his past by killing those who knew him best?" She asked rhetorically and in a rapid fire sequence, "I don't want that to happen to him, but everything is pointing in that direction. I won't be able to stop him because he'd have to choose between his duty as a soldier and… well, desertion, I guess. And no soldier of his caliber would ever desert on the small possibility that something horrible might happen."

"Well, I don't know about those other questions, but I don't think that anything that happens outside of your control will ever be your fault."

"You'll hate me."

"Diana," he said earnestly, "I'd never be able to hate you."

"Then you'll be mad at me."

"You don't know that."

"It's a pretty good guess."

"Diana, don't beat yourself up about this. Whatever happens, it will not be your fault."

"You won't think that when it happens."

"Then I'll be a dummy."

Her lips quirked at his minor self-deprecation, "We'll see." She drank the water he had given her and then gave a big yawn.

"Looks like you're tired." Steve stood and stretched himself, "Don't dwell too much on your future knowledge. What will be will be. God's watching out for us."

Diana stood too and put her glass back next to the pitcher, "I'll try."

"Good." He then swooped her up into a warm bear hug, "Get some good night's sleep. I don't know what the Colonel has planned for you until we move out after the mission."

"Okay." Diana acknowledged, "And Steve?"

"Yeah?" The Captain stopped at the door.

"Thanks for your support."

He smiled, "Anytime. See you at breakfast at 0630."

Once the Captain had left, Diana returned to her own quarters and lay back down on her cot. She flipped over her pillow so that she wouldn't sleep in the salty dampness of her dream tears.

"Make memories, huh?" She stared at the wooden ceiling, remembering what Stark had said on the plane after her previous Winter Soldier dream as she drifted off back to sleep.

*FMttM*

As Christmas neared, snow continued to blanket the ground. Diana had very little to do since the SSR soldiers and the Howling Commandos were doing relatively safe missions. Diana mostly spent her time rereading the texts in the Med Tent and writing notes, corrections, and addendums on the pages. Periodically she would have to treat frostbite and various lacerations, but nothing like she'd seen at Dover after D-Day.

"Diana?" A female voice called from the medical room.

"Huh? What?" The blonde's eyes snapped up to see Agent Carter approaching.

"Knock, knock." The agent said with a red painted lip smile.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I was hoping we could have a girls' night, go down to the pub in the village and just talk." Peggy told her, "I haven't had the chance to do that in a while, and now that I have time, I'd like to do something I want to do rather than continuously follow my duty."

Diana smiled, "Okay, sure. When do you want to go?"

"Well, I suppose it's short notice, now?" The agent asked, "The village is about a forty minute drive down the mountains."

"I'd actually love to get away from here for a while." The blonde replied, "I'll go get some things." She started toward her quarters before pausing, "Hey, do you think we could also go Christmas shopping? I want to get something for all of the Commandos. Just a small something, but, you know…. Christmas."

"I understand. I wouldn't mind looking myself."

"Awesome. I'll be just a sec."

*FMttM*

Peggy led Diana down the cobbled street of the quaint Austrian village, "Where would you like to go first?" The brunette agent asked.

"I don't even know what's here." Diana told her friend.

"Of course, I forget that you haven't been with us for a time." Peggy shook her head before giving blonde the information she needed, "There's a pub down the lane, and several shops selling various wares - clothes, jewelry, various foods."

"I haven't eaten since breakfast, but I would like to get some gifts for the Commandos." Diana told Peggy.

"Well, I brought your stipend for you from the time you spent in Dover and even before that."

"I'm getting paid?!" Diana looked startled.

The brunette agent laughed, "Of course you're getting paid. It's why we created paperwork for you."

"How much do I have?"

"Well, you have received $15 a month since you became an official nurse in the US army."

"So about $150." That wasn't a lot by 2019 standards for ten months of work, but if she remembered right, $150 could buy quite a lot in the 1940s. "Cool. I told Stark that I had no money; I guess he didn't know I was getting paid either."

"Well, you do know that Phillips has to keep you and your origins completely under wraps. Very few people know you even exist."

"Yeah, I know. Still, it's a bit of a surprise." She replied, "Come on, let's go get some food. Which way's the pub?"

"This way. They only speak Austrian-German, by the way, so I'll have to speak with them to order." Peggy told her.

"I really need to learn German."

The brunette laughed, "It's not a requirement, but knowing some words might be useful in the future. We've also converted your salary to the local currency to make things easier."

"Oh, good. I was going to ask about that."

Peggy and Diana walked down the cobbled lane to a building that had joyous laughter and music coming from within. When they entered the pub, Diana began to giggle.

"What? What's wrong?"

"I feel like I've walked into a Disney Musical's poor provincial town"

"I don't understand."

"You know, like _Beauty and the Beast_?" Diana grinned, but it quickly faded when she realized that the Disney musical didn't exist yet, "Actually, that's not even out yet. Let's go with... Um…" Crap, what was the only Disney musical movie that was out before WWII… "Snow… White?"

"I don't remember a scene like this in that film."

"Yeah, just ignore what I said… You'll actually understand one day." Diana looked around for someplace to sit, "How 'bout over there?"

"That looks just fine."

Once they sat down, a waitress came over and Peggy began to speak with her in Austrian-German.

When the waitress had left, Diana grumbled again, "I really should learn some German. What did you say to her?"

"I ordered our drinks and meals."

"Oh…"

"So," Peggy leaned forward and folded her hands together, "I heard that there's something going on between you and Sergeant Barnes."

Diana instantly blushed, "What?" She squawked, "Not you too!"

The brunette smirked, "Well, I don't know about your feelings, but he is definitely smitten with you."

The blonde swallowed, "Really?"

"Oh yes. He and Steve have planned out several different dates he'll take you on when you're all done. I even know of one plan to find your family."

"M-My family?"

Peggy gave a warm smile, "They may not know you, considering the time travel, but to Sergeant Barnes and Steve, family is important to them."

"Oh." Diana fidgeted, "My great Uncle is currently fighting in the South Pacific. I don't remember the number of the division, but I'm pretty sure they were nicknamed the Deadeyes. He's part of the Mortar B Company, fighting in Leyte or Okinawa or something like that."

"Do you want us to look into it?" The agent asked.

Diana opened her mouth to reply, but paused to think it over first. Would the SSR looking after her uncle change the past - her past? She was, after all, in an alternate universe. She decided to take a leap of faith, "Look after him. He'll make it out okay without interference, but it'd be nice to know someone cares about him." She remembered the last lines of his World War II journal, "And… I don't want him to get to the bus stop in Hinckley and have no one be there to meet him. When I read that in his journal, my heart broke for him." Diana paused again, "I also don't want any of them to be hired by the SSR when the war is over." Considering HYDRA would be festering in the SSR, she didn't want her family anywhere near those lunatics to be brainwashed or worse.

"I understand. We'll look after your family, you, me, Sergeant Barnes, Steve, and the Commandos, Colonel Phillips. All of us."

The blonde gave a small smile, "Thanks. I appreciate it."

The waitress returned with their drinks and meals.

"Danke." Diana told her.

Peggy smirked, "I thought you said you didn't know German."

"I don't. That's one of the only words I know, that and 'nein', 'guten tag', and 'ya'."

The enjoyed their meal and the bouncing polka music, complete with accordion and strings.

*FMttM*

"What were you thinking of buying for your Christmas gifts?" Peggy asked Diana.

"Um, I don't know. Something simple." The blonde replied, "Maybe fruit?"

"Fruit?"

"Yeah, like citrus or something. Maybe plums."

"I don't think you'll find those here. You will find apples and perhaps strawberries, but everything else is unfortunately not available. We're too far off the beaten path for that. Sorry."

Diana frowned, "Well, there goes that idea."

"We can still look around. Treats for the Commandos are a great idea, but don't limit yourself to fruit."

"What about candy? That's gotta be around."

Peggy smiled, "I'm sure we can find something."

The two ladies strolled around the village and found a candy shop. There were the normal hard candies as well as chocolate and candied fruit. Peggy took charge of the orders, speaking to the candy man in fast paced Austrian-German. The candy man put the candies and some of the sweet fruit in various brightly colored boxes and wrapped their orders with ribbons. Peggy had come prepared with a pen, and Diana quickly wrote the names of each Commando on their designated boxes.

Despite the large amount of sweets, Diana still had most of her pay. Everything felt like it was so cheap here - the boxes of candy were around the equivalent of 50 cents each after conversion to American currency. In her time, you couldn't even buy a pack of gum for that!

"Well, those look like they're delicious." Peggy commented on her choices for gifts, "I'm sure the boys will like them."

"I hope so. I did get a variety, a different type of sweet for each person." The blonde smiled, "And I'm bringing back two lizardortes with plum jam or jelly or something back to base for all the Commandos. It was a bit more expensive than the rest, but I had the money."

Peggy laughed a little, "Linzertorte."

Diana flushed at her mispronunciation, "Yeah that."

"That sounds delicious." The brunette told her, "Will there be enough for everyone?"

"Well, I got the biggest size, so I hope so." She showed Peggy the two biggest boxes the size of a large pie.

The agent's eyebrows went up, "You certainly went all out."

"In my time, it's easy to get sweets, pastries, fruit, and stuff like that." Diana told Peggy, "I thought I'd treat the guys to something they probably wouldn't ever get until after the war. I won't be spending my money on anything else, you know. There's nothing to really spend it on."

"What about a new dress for Christmas? There are plans to have the pub reserved for a Christmas party for everyone on base and in the community."

Diana waved her off, "Nah. My blue dress will do."

"Are you sure? There's a very nice tailor's shop with a seamstress not far from here. They could make you a very nice dress for the party."

"If I say no again, are you gonna continue to pester me?"

The agent gave a red-lipped smile, "Of course not. Like you said, you have the money. You could buy a very nice dress."

The blonde sighed, "Fine. Twist my arm, why don't you."

Peggy linked her arm in Diana's, "Let's get you something really nice. Something, perhaps, to give a very nice impression on Sergeant Barnes." The brunette grinned mischievously as Diana blushed, "How much do you have left?"

The candy had cost a total of - using American currency equivalents - 5 Marks (for the seven Commandos, Colonel Phillips, and Peggy), and the two linzertortes cost $2.

"I think I have about 140 um, Marks left." Diana replied.

"Oh, that can get something really nice. Perhaps even some jewelry." Peggy explained excitedly.

*FMttM*

Diana bought a pale pink linen dress, warm wool brown dress coat complete with gloves and a hat, shoes to match the dress, and pale pink jewelry - necklace and earrings. By the time the ladies had finished their shopping, Diana only had about 21 Marks left.

"I think we have enough packages," Diana told Peggy.

The brunette smiled, "You're going to look lovely for the party, Diana. I'm sure Sergeant Barnes won't be able to take his eyes off you."

"Yeah." The blonde gave a small smile, still embarrassed by the agent's encouragement. Then she thought that turnabout's fair play, "Do you already have something that'll prevent our dear Captain from staring at anyone else?"

Peggy pursed her lips, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Couldn't resist touching one of his pecs when he came out of the machine, could you?" Diana smirked.

The agent's eyes went wide, "How do you know about that?" Her own cheeks started to turn red, or at least redder as they were already pink from the cool air.

"I know all about the transformation. It's pretty well known where I come from." The nurse replied, "And Chris Evans is absolutely gorgeous."

"Chris… Evans?"

"Steve's name where I'm from." Diana explained, "Yours is Hayley Atwell, if you're curious." She continued, "Bucky's Sebastian Stan. Colonel Phillips is Tommy Lee Jones.

Howard Stark's Dominic Cooper. Oh, and Johann Schmidt? He's called Hugo Weaving."

"So we all have counterparts in your world under different names. Since you know their names, I assume they're famous."

"Well, yeah. They're all actors." Peggy and Diana got into the jeep after putting the packages in the back seat.

"How strange it must be for you to be here, then." The agent told her as she started up the jeep's engine.

"Seeing Tommy Lee Jones and Neal McDonough as the first faces to see in this universe was kind of freaky." Diana told Peggy, "And, when I'm from, Sebastian Stan and the others are almost 40 or in their 40s. Seeing him and the rest as they were a decade ago is so, so weird."

"Now I can understand why you resisted bonding with us for so long."

"That and I know a bit about what's gonna happen to all of you." Diana smiled, "You got your own show, by the way. On television, which is like the cinema, but in your home."

Peggy smiled, "I wouldn't think my life was interesting enough for people to enjoy at the cinema or on the radio."

Diana couldn't help but grin, "You're in for a treat when television becomes the norm. Soon it'll even be in color, like emThe Wizard of Oz/em."

"I'll look forward to it."

*FMttM*

When the ladies got back to base and walked into the Med Tent, Diana stopped and gawked. The Med Tent had been decorated with sparkling decorations that imitated fairy lights and tinsel, along with a small fir tree in one corner with colorful little bulbs on it.

"What…?" The bags in her hands slid to the floor.

Peggy smiled, "The Howling Commandos asked if I could take you out so they could decorate the Med Tent. It's a welcome back present as well as a bit of Christmas cheer from them to you."

"I-" Her eyes travelled around the silver, blue, red, green, and gold all around the dwelling. "I'm speechless."

The agent continued to smile, "I'm glad you like it."

"Like it? I love it!" Diana went over to the fir tree to touch it. She noticed that each bulb had a name on it. Steve's was blue, silver, and red. Bucky's was silver and red. Dum Dum's was yellow and red. Gabe's was silver and dark blue. Morita's was violet and silver. Falsworth's was green and gold. Jacques was crimson and gold. As Diana continued looking at the decorations, she spotted an army green bauble for Colonel Phillips and a pale gold one for Peggy. Finally she found her decoration: an off white with red. "Oh, you guys." She ran her fingers down the bulb, tracing the letters. Diana turned to Peggy, "This is too much."

"You're a part of the team - the most secret part. Most other agencies only know you as the Doctor."

Diana barked out a laugh, "That's hilarious!"

"I'm afraid I don't understand. Is it another thing from the future?"

"Hopefully all futures. Science Fiction just wouldn't be the same without the TV show emDoctor Who/em."

"I'll make sure to watch out for it."

Diana's fingers hovered over Bucky's decoration and bit her lip. The Winter Soldier colors - silver and red - before he was even the Winter Soldier. "I'm sorry." She whispered,

"Since I'll never be able to stop you, I'll make the most of the time we have."

"Are you alright?"

Diana cleared her throat and swallowed her grief and guilt. She turned to Peggy with a small smile, "I'm fine. Let's unpack our bags."

The brunette frowned, obviously not believing her, "Alright."

*FMttM*

Diana sang "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" to herself as she got ready for the SSR party in the nearby village. She wore the dress that she'd bought in town.

There was a knock at her door just as she finished putting on some lipstick. "Just a second!" She called out as she gave herself a once over in her small mirror. Diana smiled to herself, "You got this." Before going to the door and opening it.

"Well, it certainly took you a while." Peggy teased. She wore a crimson knee length dress.

"1940s beauty stuff takes a bit longer, especially for the hair." Diana defended.

"Hmm… I'm sure," the brunette smirked, "You did a fair job taking out the curlers."

"Oh god, did I, like, burn my hair and not notice?" Diana adopted a valley-girl accent and gently patted her hair.

The agent laughed at this, "No, I don't believe there are any burns. I meant a good job, rather than fair."

Diana grinned, "I guessed that since I don't have a burnt hair smell permeating my entire room."

"Yes, well, shall we get going?"

"All set."

*FMttM*

Down at the pub, a small band was playing Christmas music. The SSR soldiers and the Howling Commandos sat at various tables around the pub chatting, eating, and drinking. Some were probably drunk. There was a dance floor, but no one was dancing since very few people would jig to Christmas carols.

Peggy pulled Diana toward the Howling Commandos table, "Hello boys!" The agent greeted them.

The Commandos looked up and immediately stood in the presence of the two ladies. Steve spoke first, "Scoot over, guys. Make room." Jacques, Dum Dum, Falsworth, and

Morita shifted to create some room for Peggy and Diana on the benches.

"Well, this has gotta be the most swankified place in town." Diana commented, "I haven't been to a Christmas party like this in a really long time."

"Last year, we were invading a HYDRA base in France." Falsworth told her, "There was no town nearby to celebrate, but we did have a small gathering in the Mess."

"And then," Dum Dum added, "when we took down the HYDRA base, we found you on our way back."

Diana blinked, "I've been here a year?"

"Almost." Falsworth told her, "We took down the base on the 29th. Then we found you."

The blonde nodded, "Thanks for not letting me freeze to death." She paused, "I never did hear about that mission or any of the ones before I got here."

"Oh, it wasn't anything exciting." Morita told her, "Mostly because it was our first real mission as a team."

"Oh… I didn't know that. You guys seem so close that I'd thought you'd at least been together for a year or two." She paused, "Although I guess that makes sense with the Captain America timeline."

"What about you?" Dum Dum asked, "What were you doing this time last year?"

Diana thought back to her last Christmas in 2018. "I went sledding with my little brother and sister. She's twelve years younger than me and my brother's sixteen years younger than me." She smiled, "Donna and Davis. My older brother, Derek, lives out west and can't come home much anymore."

"I didn't know you had siblings." Steve said.

She smiled nostalgically, "Yeah, they're back home… in Minnesota." Diana knew that Peggy, Steve, and Bucky would understand more than the other Commandos about what she meant.

The evening continued with a nice locally cured ham meal with some potatoes and gravy and some vegetables. It was quite late when the music changed to something people could dance to, and a lump formed in Diana's throat because she just knew that someone - Bucky - would ask her to dance.

A few songs passed and a few of the SSR soldiers had taken local ladies onto the dance floor. Even Dum Dum, Falsworth, and a few of the other Commandos had taken a lady to the dance floor. She chatted with Peggy as she glanced toward Bucky, who looked like he was planning something with Steve.

"Hey, I'm gonna get some air." Diana told Peggy as she stood from her seat.

"Don't go too far."

The blonde smiled, "I won't. I'll just step outside."

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah. It's just stuffy in here. I'm not used to people smoking so much." This was true. Many of the SSR soldiers were smoking, and there was a fog hanging in the air. Diana stepped outside into the chilly December air.

It was a clear night, and the stars were sparkling like she'd only seem at her cabin in Ely, Minnesota. "Merry Christmas." She sent out a prayer, "I hope you're all well and safe, especially Uncle Tapio." Diana wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed a bit.

"It's a bit cold to be out here all by yourself." Bucky's voice came from behind her. A warm navy blue jacket came across her shoulders.

Diana tugged the navy blue military coat closer, "Thanks, Buck."

There was a short pause before he spoke again, "You okay?"

"Yeah. This is really my first Christmas away from my family. Ever." She confessed, "Hell, my parents aren't even born yet!"

"It's my second Christmas away from my ma and sister." He told her, "The first one I was recovering from my stay with HYDRA, and all I had was time to miss my family. At least I had Steve, though."

"My great uncle Tapio is fighting in the South Pacific right now." Diana told him, "I know he'll get out okay, but he got some shrapnel to the face and shoulder a couple times during the Battle of Leyte and later the Battle of Okinawa. He died when I was eight, though, so I didn't actually know him well. Peggy promised to watch over him and the rest of my family after this is all over."

"You mean you won't be able to?" Bucky questioned.

She opened her mouth to reply, but paused, "I - I have some places I need to visit, people wiser than the average human being. Kamar Taj and K'un Lun come to mind."

"Those sound pretty foreign. How're they gonna help you?"

"Well, the people at Kamar Taj are aware of alternate universes and K'un Lun… I actually don't know much about them, but they seem like they'd know about stuff like that considering they're otherwise called one of the Heavenly Cities."

"You don't want to stay here - with m- us?" His voice sounded strained.

"I've thought about it." She answered truthfully, "I miss home, but… I don't know if I can leave everything I've found here behind. Kamar Taj or K'un Lun might be able to figure out why I'm here and maybe give me some piece of mind because of everything I know about the future."

"I see." Bucky looked down the street, his jaw clenched.

"Buck," she reached out and took his hand, his left hand, purposefully, and entwined her fingers in his. The sniper's blue gaze snapped back to her at her touch, "Even if I go to Kamar Taj, I will come back, and I will find you, anywhere and anytime. I promise." She squeezed his hand, "And it's not for sure anyway. I mean, they have offshoot sanctums in New York, Hong Kong, and London, so I wouldn't have to stay at Kamar Taj."

"What if they can send you home?" He asked, "Are you just going to leave?"

Diana hesitated, "I don't know, Bucky. That's why I need to talk to someone much smarter and wiser than me."

He stared at her for a few moments before speaking, "I don't think I told you tonight, but you look beautiful." His thumb ran over her knuckles.

Diana ducked her head, her already rosy cheeks turning redder, "Thanks."

He tucked a strand of blonde hair that had escaped her hairstyle behind her ear, "I think I put this off long enough, but would you care to dance?"

She smiled, "I thought you'd never ask,"

He led her back inside, and, after taking his jacket from her shoulders and putting it back on, he held out his hands just as a new song began. Diana placed a hand on his shoulder and the other in his right hand as his left lightly supported her at the small of her back.

It was a quick-step waltz sort of thing, but not quite a polka. He would periodically spin her around so that her skirt flared a little.

"I've a confession to make." Bucky told her softly.

"What's that?" She could already feel her cheeks heating up.

He smirked a little and leaned forward to speak in her ear, "I have no idea how to actually dance this dance." The Sergeant pulled back, with a wider grin and his blue eyes sparking with mischief.

Diana began to laugh. She had thought that he was going to say something else. So she laughed half in relief and half in disappointment. It only took a few moments for her laughter to simmer to giggles, and she grinned at him, "Well, I think you're doing pretty well. I haven't stepped on your feet yet."

"I'm pretty good at avoiding that." His replied, "I learned how a long time ago."

"Lucky for you."

Bucky's smile was back, "Yeah, lucky me."

"Barnes!" Someone shouted from behind Diana, and she saw Bucky's eyes flick up. She saw his ears turn a bit red and it spread to his cheeks. She followed his gaze and saw a sprig of mistletoe.

"Oh." She looked back at the Sergeant, blushing as well.

He licked his lips, "Well, it is tradition."

"It is." Her hand tightened on his shoulder as her heartbeat quickened in anticipation. Diana tilted her head up, "Well, whatcha waiting for, you stupid-face?"

Bucky chuckled, low and throaty. His right hand let go of hers as it wound around her back, and his left hand brushed her cheek. The Sergeant leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against hers. She heard him suck in a breath through his nose, and he tugged her closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

Whistles and hoots broke through the mist of the high from that kiss, and Bucky withdrew a little. Their breaths mingled as they stared at each other. Then Bucky smiled and his forehead bumped against hers, "That was…"

"Yeah." Diana breathed.

His thumb trailed over her cheekbone, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

"Did it live up to your expectations?" She teased.

Bucky huffed a breathless laugh, "Oh, it was so much better." Diana bit her lip, causing the sniper to straighten, "What's wrong?"

She made a decision and pulled him off the dance floor, "Don't go on the mission to capture Zola."

"What? Why?" His eyebrows went up in surprise at the request. The more romantic mood broken by the change in subject.

"It's… it's the mission where you don't come back." Diana whispered.

The Sergeant tensed, "That's always been a possibility, doll."

She nodded, "I also know what he did to you, or at least I have a good guess." She reached up and traced around the outside of his left eye, "That was only the start, Bucky. Zola… he could do so much worse."

"And that's why he needs to be stopped."

"I know that!" Diana told him, a little louder than she meant to. She took a deep breath and lowered her voice again, "He's evil! He's psycho! He - Bucky, he'd take someone and tear their mind to shreds until they don't know who they even are anymore! He'd turn people into mindless, completely loyal to HYDRA weapons! I don't want that to happen to you! Please, please don't go."

Bucky sighed, "I can't just back out now, sweetheart. I'm vital to the mission, and if we have to redo the entire plan so I can stay back… we'd lose our chance at getting Zola and more people will die because of that monster."

Diana had known he'd refuse. She had tried, but she knew that this had been her final defeat, so she nodded, "I understand. I had to try." The Winter Soldier was coming, no matter what.

"Hey," Bucky implored her by taking her hand again and brushing his lips across her knuckles, "I'll be extra careful, and Steve's got my back. That's gotta count for something."  
Diana smiled, "Yeah."

"And you've told me before that you'd find me if anything happened, well, I'll make that same promise. If something happens to me, and I'm still alive, I'll find you. No matter what."

"It'll be your unofficial mission." She wondered if that promise would break through the Winter Soldier programming.

"It'll be my most important mission," he corrected her. He paused briefly before speaking again, "Diana, even if I'm not coming back from this next mission, I'd like you to be my girl."

"Oh Bucky," her heart broke for him and his future, "of course."

The Sergeant's grin lit up his face, "When we get back to base, I have something for you."

"I have a present for you too."

"We were planning a gift exchange in your Med Tent after the shindig's ended."

"I never thanked you guys for decorating."

"I did nothing; it was all Steve, Dum Dum, and Falsworth who made the stuff. I just hung up decorations."

"Then you helped." She kissed his cheek, and murmured in his ear, "Thank you, Bucky."

He cleared his throat and shifted a little, "Would you like to dance again?"

"Sure. I hope you know this style of music."

The Sergeant chuckled, "Nope. Let's bumble through it together."

"I don't think you bumble through anything, ever."

*FMttM*

It was almost midnight when Diana and Peggy headed back to the base with the Commandos not far behind. A much smaller party began in the Med Tent with much less alcohol - although a couple of the Commandos were at the very least tipsy and buzzed from the entire night's festivities.

Everyone exchanged a few gifts. They were mostly fruit, candy, some playing cards, and occasionally cigarettes (Dum Dum smoked a little). Gradually the Commandos left the Med Tent and bid Diana good night. Peggy was the second to last to go, escorted by Steve. He was talking to his best friend, and considering Bucky looked a bit red-faced, Diana assumed that the Captain was teasing him about what happened down at the pub.

"It looks like you've taken a step forward with Sergeant Barnes." The agent teased, then she hugged the blonde, "I'm happy for you. I'll see you in the morning." Then she and

Steve stood just outside the mostly closed door because of chaperoning and propriety or whatever.

Diana turned to Bucky, "So…"

He dug his hand in the pocket of his trousers and produced a small wrapped package, "I didn't think it'd be appropriate to give this to you when I didn't get anyone else anything special."

"You didn't have to get anything special, Buck." She smiled and stepped toward him.

He handed the small package to her, "I hope you like it. It took Steve to actually give me that final push." Bucky smiled a little, "That little punk just wouldn't let it go."  
Diana unwrapped the gift and found a plain box within. She opened it and a silver necklace glinted in the glow of the fairy lights. She picked the necklace up out of the box, "It's beautiful."

"I've been saving for a while, hoping…" He flushed and cleared his throat, "I haven't really had much occasion to buy stuff using my pension, although I've been sending most of it home to my ma."

"This is too much, Bucky." She told him.

"It'll be something for you to remember me by in case, well, you know." The Sergeant shuffled his feet, "It's a locket by the way."

Diana's eyes widened, and she used her nail to gently open the oval locket pendant. Inside was a small picture of Bucky in military uniform complete with solemn look and crooked hat. "Oh, Bucky." She closed the locket and looked up at him. A few tears forming in her eyes, "Thank you."

"Do you want me to put it on for you?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yes, please." She handed him the silver locket and turned around.

He brushed up some of the blonde hair that had fallen out of her hairstyle so that it wouldn't get caught on the chain. Then he raised his arms over her head and placed the locket at the center of her collarbone before bringing his hands back behind her head to connect the two ends of the chain together. "Beautiful."  
Instantly, Diana was blushing. She touched the locket, "Yes, it is."

The Sergeant chuckled, "As much as I'd like to stay, I'm sure Steve and Peggy are waiting just outside the door." She turned around and tugged him toward her, embracing him tightly. His arms encircled her shoulders, holding her to him. He kissed her temple, "We still have time before the mission."

"Yeah." She nodded into his shirt. He smelled like metal and gunpowder and the aftershave men used in this time period. Diana swallowed and took a step back, clutching at her necklace, "I better let you go. Otherwise the others might think there's a bit of hanky-panky going on." When she realized what she said and what she'd implied, her hand flew to her mouth, and her face heated up like one of the red fairy lights.

Bucky just started laughing, complete with eye crinkle and sparkles in his cerulean blues, "You are one special dame. I don't think any girl from this time would even think to imply that. They'd be too demure and embarrassed to say it out loud." His mirth calmed a bit, "And that's what I like about you, dollface. Don't ever change." He took her hand, kissed her palm and then her wrist, "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Good night, you stupid-face." She answered, although her face was still rosy red.

Her Sergeant gave her one last wide, happy grin before exiting the Med Tent with Peggy and Steve.

*FMttM*

Bucky came by to visit nearly every day and took her out on the base just to talk. She told him the whole truth about her family, correcting the bits she'd had to alter when she told stories to the other Commandos.

She told him about how her grandpa was the youngest of five kids - having all older sisters - and when his mom died in 1932 and his dad left his family to fend for themselves, he had dropped out of school and started riding the rails to find work. He met his future wife when she was 16 or 17 when he was working on the roads near her house and went to one of the houses to ask for a drink of water.

He told her about growing up in Brooklyn during the Depression. He told her about his sister Rebecca and his ma and pop. It was clear, though, that his dad was a sore subject, since he would only say he wasn't around anymore.

She told him about her grandma, the same one who met her grandpa when she was 16 or 17, and how she immigrated from Yugoslavia to the United States when she was nine or ten with her mother and grandmother.

He told her about how he met Steve, saving him for the first time from an alleyway fight. There were, of course, plenty more to follow, but he'd always have Steve's back to the end of the line. He always treated the skinny boy's wounds afterwards, from bumps and bruises, to scratches and gashes.

She told him how her grandfathers had worked in the iron ore mines and logging industry before moving south after their retirement. Her dad's parents had moved to Duluth and her mom's parents had moved to Hinckley, Minnesota.

He told her about working at the docks after his dad left, how he had earned money to squeak by even after Steve became a part of his family when his mother passed away. Bucky worked even harder, taking any job he could to supplement his pay from the docks.

She told him about how her parents met late in high school and even went to college. Her dad barely missed the call for the draft for the Vietnam War (Bucky was not pleased that there would be yet another war). She did note that it was a war disliked and even hated by many Americans.

He talked about being drafted for the army and what the 107th Infantry Regiment was like. He glossed over his time with HYDRA when she informed him that she knew or could guess at most of it. He told her how he'd felt seeing Steve in his post-serum body and that silly, showy uniform and helmet with painted wings - WINGS! That had become the Commandos' symbol, though: the Wings of Freedom, Captain America's symbol (other than his shield, of course).

*FMttM*

The New Year came and went without fanfare. In fact, most of the soldiers, and Diana, forgot completely about the New Year until it was a couple days past.  
Tensions were high as the day to board Zola's train closed in. Diana was dreading it, and she'd had to keep herself busy treating SSR soldiers and a couple of the Commandos for mild frostbite.

Bucky and Steve were almost constantly out in the field, preparing for their jump onto the train with Gabe scouting along the tracks with the other Commandos. The Commandos returned from the field in mid-January with the report that the train would be in their area the next night. They had only come back to base to resupply their weapons with ammo, and have a hot meal after having hard rations for a few weeks.

Diana made sure to go down to the Mess Hall to spend time with the Commandos before their biggest mission. She sat at one of the tables long after most of the Commandos left to their quarters. The only ones left were Steve and Bucky.

"Buck told me about what you said about this mission." Steve told her, "Are you absolutely sure it's this one?"

She knew he was desperate to save his friend from his fate, but she could not lie to Captain America, "It's this one. It happens on the train during Zola's capture. I can't remember the exact details on how it happens, but it will." Diana wrapped her hands around her coffee mug.

Steve wiped a hand down his face, "Shoot."

"I'm sorry." She ducked her head, "I'm sorry I can't tell you more."

Bucky took her hand, "It's not your fault, doll. And maybe now that we've been forewarned it won't happen."

Diana squeezed his hand and nodded, "There are good things and bad things that come with this… Mostly bad. A few good."

"How could anything good come from Bucky dying?!" Steve asked, his eyes flashing dangerously.

She winced, "Well, far off in the future, you and Bucky will be needed. The Infinity War will come and you and the Avengers are all that will stand in the way of the Mad Titan and the Earth."

"But isn't that over half a century in the future?" The Captain asked, confused, "So Bucky won't actually die?"

"There's this thing called cryostasis." She stated, "Some people can be frozen for long periods of time and brought out of their hibernation when they want or when they're needed."

"So that's why you've said you'd find me anywhere and anytime." Bucky stated, "You knew that I'd be put into this cryostasis."

"That about sums it up," she nodded, "but I wish… no… The years in between are hard enough to bear without wishes. I'd rather you both just came back alive and unharmed with Zola so I can punch him in the face."

"We'll do our best, Diana." Steve assured her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

The three of them stayed up almost the entire night with Steve turning in around 2:30 AM. Bucky still held Diana's hand.

"I'm a bit scared, Diana." He admitted softly, running his thumb over her knuckles.

"Me too."

"I don't want to lose you. I just found you and now…" He grit his teeth angrily, "This is all HYDRA's fault. And Zola's fault."

"It'll be okay in the end. I know it will." She told him, "That's why I need to find Kamar Taj or K'un Lun. I'm sure that Kamar Taj has a type of stasis that will prevent me from aging until you come back."

"Who are these Kamar Taj people anyway?"

"Sorcerers. They protect the world from supernatural threats." She said, "And I have no clue if they're even fighting in this war since the Tesseract would be considered both magical and technological."

"Tesseract?"

"The glowing blue cube thing that Schmidt and HYDRA have used to create all of their weapons. It's a singularity, one of six."

"Then that'll be our next mission - the Tesseract." Bucky replied to this new information.

"It's not safe anywhere. Not here, not in any vaults, not on Asgard, not even on a distant planet!"

"Then we destroy it."

"If you can figure out how, I'm pretty sure the universe will be thankful." She frowned, "Theoretically, You can't destroy a singularity, that's what an Infinity Stone supposedly is. It's basically a black hole or a supernova condensed into a gemstone!"

"I don't know what a black hole is, but it sounds really bad."

"A black hole has such high gravity that nothing can escape it, not even light."

"That is bad."

"Oh yeah."

"Right. Then I guess that leaves us where we started: a cube that should never be destroyed and an evil genocidal maniac from outer space that wants it even more than HYDRA."

"Yeah. But by then we'll have help - from Ironman and others."

They continued to talk quietly, just spending their last moments together before the fall and before the Winter.

"Sweetheart, I need to go check my gear." Bucky told her at around 4:30 AM, "We're gonna be heading out in a couple hours."

"I know. I'll see you guys off."

"I'll see you in a little bit." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead before leaving.

Diana sat alone in the Mess Hall, not knowing what to do with herself. The man she was falling for was walking to his death. It was a death in a way, a huge change. James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes would no longer be just a Sergeant and a sniper. He would be one of the world's most efficient assassin, the Winter Soldier. Once he woke up out of HYDRA's grasp, he would be both Bucky and the Winter Soldier. When that happened, Diana had no idea whether he'd even let himself care for her as he did at this moment.

This hadn't happened in the movies - this relationship. Bucky had only had Steve in the movies helping him, believing in him. Now Bucky had Diana too. How much would that change him? How would that affect him as the Winter Soldier?

Diana rubbed her face. There wasn't enough coffee or alcohol in the world to help her ignore her breaking heart. She wouldn't see him again for seventy years if the timeline worked the same. Hopefully the Ancient One would be able to help her and let her use the Eye of Agamotto to pause her aging between then and at least 2011 when the Captain would be unfrozen.

*FMttM*

Diana had gathered her courage and, after putting on her wool coat, exited the Mess Hall into the lightly falling snow. She wrapped her arms around herself and headed toward the main road that led out of the base. There were a few jeeps and a motorcycle idling there as SSR soldiers loaded a few supplies and weaponry into the back for the Commandos to have at their positions and later their rendezvous point.

"Hey, Diana." Dum Dum's voice came from behind her as he approached one of the jeeps. He loaded a sniper rifle wrapped in a blanket, "You come to see us off?" His mustache twitched in his knowing smile.

"Yeah. You never know what's gonna happen on a mission like this." She told him.

"Aw, we'll be fine." Dum Dum assured her, "With the Cap and Buck taking point, it's gonna be easy as apple pie."

Diana gave him a faint smile, "I hope so." She searched for the other Commandos for Bucky.

Gabe and Steve strode toward the vehicles, talking in serious tones about the mission, "We have to make sure that we all stay away from the cargo doors. I don't want any of us falling out. We're on a cliff side, and if we fall… well, that's the end." The Captain gave his compatriot a determined look, "And that won't happen. Not on my watch."

"Understood, Cap." The Commando nodded before loading his gear into a jeep.

Steve turned toward Diana, "Hey, how're you doing?"

"I'm okay. Cold, tired, probably a little tipsy, but…" She shrugged.

"I'm gonna do my best to bring Buck home safe. I -"

Diana cut him off, "Don't promise. It's not something you can one hundred percent keep. You don't have total control over what Bucky does or what other people do, so don't promise."

"Alright," the Captain nodded, "still, I'll do my best to bring him back in one piece."

"Thanks."

"He's on his way. I'll leave the two of you to say what needs to be said." Steve strode toward the jeeps with his gear in his arms and shield strapped to his back.

A few moments later, Bucky appeared wearing his winter uniform with a gun slung over his shoulder. "Hey dollface." He gave her a smile, trying to lighten the mood, "Long time no see."

Diana grabbed his left hand and entwined her fingers in his, "I still don't want you to go."

The Sergeant tugged her to him and hugged her tightly, "I know. I don't want to go either." He buried his face in the crook of her neck.

She whimpered, "I'm sorry!" She gripped him tightly, "I'm so, so sorry!" Diana could feel the tears prick her eyes.

Bucky leaned back a bit, "Hey now." He tilted her face up and ran his thumb across one cheek, just under her eye, "I'm not gonna ever blame you for anything that happens out there." His blue eyes flashed, "You've done everything you could. You've even broken some arbitrary rules to try and help! I. Will. NEVER. Blame you." She was about to say something, but he continued, "This is my choice. Mine. Even knowing everything - about the possibility that I might…" He clenched his jaw, not wanting to say it, and his eyes closed, "I won't. I'm gonna choose to live." Bucky opened his eyes again, "I'm gonna find you when this is all over. I'm gonna find you and take you dancing or whatever's done on a date when we wake up."

"I'd like that… very much." Diana gave a watery smile.

The Sergeant looked a little nervous, "That kiss under the mistletoe - I don't think that really counts as a real kiss, do you?"

She laughed a little, "Oh just kiss me if you want to you stupid-face."

He didn't need to be told twice as he lunged forward and captured her lips in a searing, desperate kiss. He pressed himself as close to her as he could, his hands wandering to the less appropriate places, but Diana didn't care. She kissed him back just as hard.

Bucky finally withdrew, "God, I didn't think it would be this difficult to leave." He leaned his forehead against hers.

Diana caught his left hand again and entwined their fingers before squeezing, "We'll see each other again. We'll find each other. I know it."

"But that'll be so long from now." He almost whined.

"And that's only if the timeline I know happens." She pointed out, "It might not happen at all because of me."

"I hope so."

"All good things start with hope."

Bucky smiled as he looked at her, "Yes, they do." He kissed her once more, "I have to go." He withdrew from her, but didn't let go of her hand.

"Bucky," Diana tugged at him to make sure he was listening. He gripped her hand tighter and let her see his baby blues, "Not a day'll go by I won't think of you."

"Good." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her gloved knuckles, "I'll be seeing you, dollface."

The Commandos revved up their engines and the small caravan left the SSR base.

*FMttM*

Twelve hours. Twelve painful, grueling hours of waiting and hoping and wringing her hands and trying not to cry because if the mission went as the timeline dictated, Bucky would fall. He would be found by the Soviets. He would be taken into their emloving/em custody. He would be given his vibranium arm. He would be brainwashed to the point where he didn't know who he was anymore much less who she or Steve were. He would become the Winter Soldier.

As dusk fell, she heard the rev of the engines from the jeeps, and she grabbed her coat and sprinted outside. Diana watched the jeeps and motorcycle arrive and she searched intently for her Sergeant, hoping beyond hope that what should happen hadn't happened.

Steve stepped out of one of the jeeps, and his stricken expression gave her the answer. Bucky had fallen. He would become the Winter Soldier.

"No…" She moaned and her hand went to the locket hidden under her coat.

The Captain made his way over to her and stood at attention, "Miss Larson, I am sorry to report but Sergeant James -" His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat, "Sergeant

James Buchanan Barnes was lost on the mission. I am really very sorry for your loss."

"No, Steve," she looked up at him, "I'm sorry for YOUR loss. He was yours long before he even met me." Diana hugged him, "I'm so, so sorry."

The Captain was trembling as he hugged her back, "I tried to save him. I swear I tried so hard. I had him; I was inches from him and then… then he just slipped away and fell."

He bent his head toward her shoulder.

"I guess it had to happen." Diana's voice was empty of emotion.

"It's not fair!" Steve snarled, "Why did it have to happen this way?"

"Come on. Let's get inside," she suggested, "and sit down."

"Yeah."

Diana took him to the Mess and sat him down in a chair. She took the seat next to him and finally got a good look at his down-turned face. There were tears streaming down his cheeks. He must have sensed her looking at him because he brought a hand up to hide his emotion.

She reached over and took that hand, "Don't. Don't hide from me."

Steve nodded as his shoulders shook, "I should be stronger than this." His voice was gravelly.

"No one is that strong." Diana told him.

"You're not crying." He pointed out.

Her heart and stomach burned at that, "I - I just…" Her voice started to crack, "I don't know what to do, Steve. We'll both be blubbering messes if I break down too!" She could feel the tears already pricking her eyes, "Shit." She mumbled and scrubbed at her face.

"Language." Steve chastised weakly.

Diana started laughing softly, but that quickly opened the gates to crying. Her hand tightened on Steve's as she started to weep over what could have been. After a moment, Steve let go of her hand and wrapped her in a half hug, his own shoulders still trembling as he mourned the loss of his friend.

When Diana had finally calmed down enough to have a coherent thought, she leaned back and looked up at Steve. His eyes were red-rimmed and there were tear tracks down his cheeks. "We have to find him. I know he's still alive. He's just-"

The Captain slowly shook his head, "The tracks are miles long. He fell into a ravine. It's been hours, Diana. If he survived the fall, he wouldn't survive the weather. And if he survived long enough for someone to find him… someone else has probably already found him."

"The Soviets." Diana ground her teeth.

"Or worse."

She nodded, "I doubt the Colonel would give up the resources anyway. 'The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few' and all that."

"You're probably right." The Captain nodded, "I'm sorry I can't do more."

At that moment, Peggy walked in. She looked so solemn and compassionate, "Captain Rogers, you know that this wasn't your fault."

"You read the reports we sent ahead?" Steve asked her.

"I did."

"Then you'll know that's not true."

"Yeah. It's my fault." Diana told her.

Steve turned to Diana wide-eyed, "No, it's not your fault! You weren't even there!"

"I should've just stopped him from going. I probably could have, you know. If I really tried."

"Diana, it's not your fault either. It's no one's fault." Peggy declared, "You did everything you could. You both did. Did you believe in him? Did you respect him?" Steve just stared at the Agent as Diana gave a small nod.

"He was very brave." The blonde murmured and her hand went to the locket.

"Then don't blame yourselves. Allow Sergeant Barnes the dignity of his choice because he damn well thought that you were worth it, Rogers." Peggy turned to Diana, "And you - I'd have to have been blind not to see how he looked at you. He would never want you to blame yourself for something so completely out of your control. Barnes cared too much for you to allow you to do something as stupid as that."

"I'm gonna go after Schmidt." Steve clenched his fists, "I'm not gonna stop fighting until all of HYDRA is dead or captured."

"And you won't be alone." Peggy told him, "All of the Commandos have your back, Captain. And so do I."

"I may not be able to go out there and fight, but I'm here to support you guys too 'til the end of the line." Diana added.

"You're gonna wait, then, to go find that Kamar Taj place?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. I'm probably gonna wait until the war's over to find the New York or London branch."

"What's this about a place called Kamar Taj?" Peggy asked.

Diana smiled lightly, "It's somewhere I can go to try to figure out how I got here and why."

"I see. Well, I suppose that when the time comes, I'll be there to help you find it, especially if it's in London."

"Thanks Peggy. I appreciate it."

*FMttM*

During his down time, Steve started spending more time in the Med Tent. Not because he was physically hurt, but because he felt the need to keep his best friend's girl company.

Diana shared with the Captain her actual history, as she had with Bucky. She told him about how in her universe, everyone important in this universe was an actor. She told him about Chris Evans and how he was exactly like Steve but tended to curse more. A lot more. She talked about some of the shenanigans she remembered that Evans and Sebastian Stan (she started called the duo EvanStan) got up to on the movie set and during some of their interview tours, with both of them being completely goofy. Steve found it fascinating that these doppelgangers were so similar and at the same time so different from what he knew.

In February, the SSR travelled to London where Colonel Phillips began his official interrogation of their prisoner of war. So the Commandos and the rest of the SSR had some down time. Diana even received mail for the very first time since she'd arrived in this world. It was a letter from British Intelligence, from Lee.  
He had apparently heard of her connection to Bucky, although considering his observation skills, Lee had probably guessed at the connection before the SSR had even left for D-Day. In the letter, Lee expressed his condolences to her and to the Captain for the loss of the Sergeant.

Diana also received a letter from Luke Murdock. He was on the front lines fighting the Nazis and pushing them back to Germany. Some of his letter was blacked out, but she could still read most of it. He was actually leading a squadron now. He had gained the rank of Sergeant thanks to letters Steve and Colonel Phillips had sent explaining some things about the changes in Luke thanks to HYDRA. The teen had been able to keep his anger in check off the battlefield, but was utterly vicious when he fought. Some of his buddies were starting to call him the 'Devil of [blacked out division number].'

On one of their furlough days, Peggy had insisted that they look for the Kamar Taj branch in London, and so took Diana on an in depth tour of the city. It took the women most of the day to find it, but Diana spotted the symbol for the Eye of Agamotto on one of the buildings.

"That's where I need to go when this is all over." The blonde told the Agent, "The people there will be able to help me."

"It's good that we know where to go." Peggy said, "I'd like to meet these people when the time comes."

"I don't know if that'll be possible. They're really secular and isolationist."

"Do you think they'll even see you?"

"I don't know. I hope so. It's either here or go straight to Kamar Taj in Nepal. If not that, then I have to hike the Himalayas and hope to find the Heavenly City of K'un Lun."

"Well, then we'll have to hope these people will see you."

*FMttM*

Toward the end of February, the SSR headed out as they had pinpointed Johann Schmidt's base of operations. One down… Steve to go.

Diana had retreated a little bit into herself unless Steve or Dum Dum were around. She figured that even if she did tell Steve about the Valkyrie crash, nothing would change. Just like with Bucky, she could tell Steve everything, and she was sure nothing would change. He would crash and be frozen for 70 years.

By March 4th, everything was set up. Their base of operations was in the middle of nowhere, but within motorcycle driving distance of Schmidt's HYDRA base of operations.  
Everyone - Steve with the Commandos, the SSR, and the American Army to back him up, was going to head out early in the morning to invade the HYDRA base. Diana would be riding with the SSR troops, specifically with Peggy. Diana brought her field medical kit and her Colt.

"I have a bad feeling." Peggy told Diana as she took a seat in the driver's seat of the jeep, "Can you tell me anything about what's going to happen?"

The blonde slouched a little in the passenger seat, "It's complicated."

"Tell me."

"It's… very complicated. The mission is a success, but things of course don't know as planned."

"What's wrong? What's going to happen?"

Diana frowned sadly, "Nothing we can change."

Peggy closed her eyes, "I was afraid you'd say that." She revved the engine and began to follow the troops toward the HYDRA base.

*FMttM*

Diana had been ordered to stay back with behind all of the lines of the SSR and the Army, but soon, the injured started pouring in. She did her best to see to all of the wounds, and she was very glad that the Army also had a medical team at the back. Team.

It took a few hours, but soon the SSR came back to help the wounded into the now HYDRA-free base so that the men would be warmer and at least have a roof over their heads. The Army and the SSR combined their resources inside, which really helped Diana not be so stressed running around trying to take care of wounds as fast as she could.

Then suddenly Peggy came running in, "Diana! We need you to talk Steve out of doing something stupid!"

"The Valkyrie?" The blonde asked, quickly wiping off her hands on a cloth.

"Yes! He just went on the plane to fight the Red Skull. Come quickly!"

Diana shouted for another doctor to come look after her patients before following the Agent quickly out the door.

The got into the radio room just in time to hear Colonel Phillips say, "We've got the frequency."

Peggy took the microphone, "Steve? Is that you? Are you alright?"

"Peggy!" The Captain exclaimed, "Schmidt's dead."

"What about the plane?"

"That's… a little tougher to explain."

"Give me your coordinates, I'll find you a safe landing site."

"There's not gonna be a safe landing," Steve told her, "but I can try to force it down."

Peggy was a bit more desperate, "I'll get Howard on the line. He'll know what to do."

"There's not enough time," Steve told her, "This thing's moving too fast, and it's heading for New York."

"Please, don't do this. We have time. We can work it out."

"Right now I'm in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer a lot of people are gonna die. Peggy, this is my choice."

Diana reached out for the microphone, and Peggy reluctantly gave it to her, "Steve -"

"Diana?"

"Hey, you. I'll see you when you wake up. Look for me on Bleecker Street in New York. If I get the help of Kamar Taj, the building has a dome on the top with a huge window facing the street with a curved tic-tac-toe symbol on it. If I'm anywhere in this world, I'll be there."

"Okay. Got it."

"I'll put Peggy back on the line." Diana handed the microphone back to the Agent.

"Peggy?" The Captain inquired.

"I'm here."

"I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance."

Tears came to the Agent's eyes, "Alright. A week, next Saturday, at the Stork Club."

"You got it." Steve promised, but he knew and Diana knew it wasn't to be.

"Eight o'clock on the dot. Don't you dare be late! Understood?"

"You know, I still don't know how to dance."

"I'll show you how. Just be there."

"You'll have the band play something slow. I'd hate to step on your -" Suddenly the line went dead.

"Steve? Steve? Steve?" Peggy cried, "No! Steve answer!" There were tears streaming down her cheeks. She spun around to face Diana, "YOU!" The blonde tensed at the rage and grief on her face, "YOU KNEW!" She shouted, "AND YOU DID NOTHING!"

Diana trembled, her hands becoming fists, "It wouldn't have made a difference. I warned Bucky. I told him and Steve exactly what would happen on that train to the best of my memory and Bucky still… He still fell. And now… Now he... You have no idea what it's like Agent Carter!" The blonde spat her title angrily, "You'll go on to have a long, happy life with marriage and apple pie!" She held back a sob, "I tried to stop it. You know I didn't want that to happen to Bucky. I tried and it didn't matter. Not a bit."

"Did Steve know?" Peggy asked, her voice still quivering, "Did he go on that mission knowing he might not survive?"

"He didn't know it was this mission until just now." She told the Agent.

Peggy put her hands on the console pane. It took a short time for the Agent to compose herself. She swallowed and nodded, "Alright. Thank you for telling me. I just wish I'd known beforehand."

"Knowing beforehand doesn't make it any less painful."

The Agent paused, "Will he be alright?"

"It'll take some adjusting, but when he wakes up he'll be fine. I'll make sure of it."

*FMttM*

Colonel Phillips waited until the next day to announce the disappearance of Captain America. Dum Dum took leadership of the Commandos, and they started going off on missions against the Nazis immediately, participating in Operation Undertone in mid-March. The SSR took on various missions throughout April and then headed to Austria in May to invade the last known HYDRA base and retrieve various artifacts they had hidden there.

When the end of the War came around on May 8, 1945, the SSR and Commandos made their way to London to mourn the loss of their comrades. The Howling Commandos, Peggy, and Diana sat at a pub in London drinking a few pints. Dum Dum stood.

"To the Steve and Bucky!" He lifted his pint in toast.

"To the Steve and Bucky!" Everyone echoed and took a gulp from their own drinks.

The men began to talk about what they'd do now that the war was over, once they were home.

"Are you still thinking about going to that Kamar Taj branch?" Peggy asked Diana.

"Yeah. I need answers. The Sorcerer Supreme of Kamar Taj is really wise, and they actually know about alternate dimensions." The blonde answered, "I'm sure she can help me figure out how to get home or help me figure out my place in this universe."

"I'll take you there tomorrow." The Agent said, "The Colonel informed me earlier today that the SSR will be heading to Berlin for something called Operation Overcast."

"Okay." Diana nodded, "I am really sorry about Steve. You two were just starting your relationship, and then he has to go and do something stupid."

"I could say the same about you and Sergeant Barnes." The brunette gave a faint smile, "I could see you both were falling hard for each other."

"Yeah. Stark told me to seize the moments I had left."

"Stark knew?"

"He figured it out." Diana replied, "I'm not very good at lying or hiding the truth from someone that smart."

"Well, at least I'll be able to talk with him about all of this."

"Oh, hey, that reminds me: Do I have any records in the SSR with my name in them?"

Peggy frowned, "I'm not sure. Those aren't something I'm always privy to or even read."

"Well, I don't want anyone to know I was around, so if you could strike my name from the records or give me a code name, that would be great."

"Why would we need to do that?"

"I'm probably just being paranoid, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I don't want anyone to know about me or my history with the SSR." Diana particularly thought of Rumlow, Pierce, and their Winter Soldier Asset.

"I'll speak with Colonel Phillips. As far as I know, there are very few, if any, documents with your real name on them. The documents that I've seen refer to our medic as the Doctor or are Army certificates."

"Right. Oh! And contact British Intelligence to tell one of their agents - Lee - what's happened to me. He promised to look after me post-war, but since I probably won't be here, I just want him to live his own life. Maybe become a famous actor or something."

"I'll make note of that too." Peggy nodded, "And as promised, I'll look after your family."

"I really appreciate that."


	7. Kamar Taj

**This little chapter just develops some friendships as well as how Diana will help the Avengers in the future. It's the bridge between the past and the... well, 2011, I guess. It's also just a little bit of character building and fun before the Avengers. The chapter also covers an entire year.**

 **I recently broke 150 followers, so thank you all for reading my story! I really appreciate your continued support - those who read and review and those who read and lurk.**

 **I hope you enjoy the new chapter!**

*FMttM*

Diana and Peggy stood outside the London Sanctum. It was cloudy - no surprise there - and the building itself looked pretty foreboding.

"Well, are you going to go inside?" Peggy asked.

"If I'm successful, I probably won't be seeing you again for years."

"You need answers," the Agent told her friend, "and since we can't do anything more to help you here, we'll just make sure you have papers when you return. Those will only be given to the head of the SSR - or whatever the SSR becomes."

"SHIELD."

Peggy's eyebrows went up, "And what does that stand for?"

"Strategic Homeland Intelligence E-something Logistics Division, I think."

"Well, someone really wanted our group to spell out shield."

"I know, right?" Diana smirked and looked up at the building, "I really hope the Ancient One can help me. I don't know where else to go except the Himalayas to search for K'un Lun."

"Do you want me to wait here for you?"

"I don't know if they'll let me back out if they accept me into their Sanctum."

"I'll wait for an hour. If you don't come back, I'll return to base." Peggy informed her, "We leave for Austria in a week."

"Okay. Otherwise I'll see you in the future."

"It'll be something to look forward to." The brunette smiled. Then she pulled Diana into a hug, "I'm going to miss you."

The blonde hugged back, "I'll miss you too, even though it might only feel like a few days for me."

"Go on then. Before I start crying."

"Goodbye, Peggy." Diana told her friend.

Diana stared up at the old building. With a deep breath, she started walking up the stairs to the London Sanctum.

She got to the huge doors, "Well, here goes nothing." She took the old fashioned knocker and knocked.

"Slowly the door opened and a man in robes looked out, "Yes, may I help you?" His accent was decidedly English and posh.

"My name is Diana Larson. I need to speak with the Ancient One as soon as she's available here or in New York or in Kamar Taj or wherever." Diana spoke a lot more confidently than she felt.

The sorcerer looked her up and down, "You know much for someone who's not familiar to me."

"Please, I need her help. There's almost literally no one else I can turn to since I have no idea how to get to K'un Lun." Diana pleaded.

The sorcerer's eyes narrowed, "You even know of the City of Heaven." He opened the door even more, "Enter."

Diana took one last look at Peggy and waved before walking into the Sanctum. The sorcerer shut the door with a loud bang that made the blonde jump.

He gave her a side glance, "Follow me." He led her to a room that contained the doors to the other Sanctums, "We will travel through this to Kamar Taj. Do not speak unless spoken to and stay close to me. I will explain your situation based on the information you've given me, and we shall see if the Ancient One deems you worthy of her help."

"Thank you so much."

He simply nodded and activated the portal, "Simply step through after me. I will close the door once we are both on the other side."

Diana followed his instructions and the temperature went from moderately cool to warm in two seconds. She wanted to shrug out of her army jacket, but knew she might have to hold it for a long time while she waited for the Ancient One.

The English sorcerer led her down a hall into large room with tatami mats, "Wait here for a moment." He went off to the side to a younger man and muttered something to him, probably to go get the Ancient One or something.

Several other sorcerers passed through the room, paying her no mind, although a couple eyed her military-like clothing. She watched quietly, wringing her hands to try to get some nervous energy out. The English sorcerer simply crossed his arms and watched her with some suspicion.

It was not long before a few people who looked more like attendants than sorcerers came and set up a low table, dishes for tea, and a few plates of light finger food. Diana didn't dare touch anything, but she realized that with the difference in time zone, she had no idea what time it was. When she'd left England, it had been the morning. Perhaps it was midday or even late afternoon here in Nepal.

She continued to stand and wait. Once the entire table was set up, the attendants vanished, leaving Diana with the English sorcerer once again. A bead of sweat trickled down Diana's forehead and temple and she reached up to wipe it away.

"Hello, Diana Larson." A voice behind her said, and she practically jumped as she spun around. The Ancient One stood there with a soft, amused smile on her face, "I have been expecting you. After the disturbance in the dimensions a year ago, I needed to divine what it was and I found you."

"Oh…" The blonde was at a loss for words.

"Thank you Rupert," the Ancient One addressed the English sorcerer. "You may return to your duties." The English sorcerer bowed and swept out of the room. The Ancient One then knelt at the table, "Come, eat and drink."

Diana sat across from her and took some of the offered tea, "Thank you, Ancient One. And thank you so much for seeing me."

"How could I not see you when you have sought me out? I did not know that you knew of us." The Ancient One informed Diana, "Although I suppose due to the distortion caused by your arrival I should've guessed as such. You must have come from very far away in the multiverse to have caused such disruptions."

"Yeah," Diana took some of the food and put it on her plate, "considering this universe is fictional where I come from, I'd say my world is pretty far away."

"Interesting. Please tell me more."

"Ummm, well, I actually come from the future, too… the 21st Century to be exact. And, uh, all the main players in this universe - Captain America, Red Skull, you, lots of people who haven't been born yet - are actors in mine." Diana explained, "For example, in my world your name is Tilda Swinton. She's a British actress."

"I see." The Ancient One looked very intrigued, "And what is it you want me to do?"

"Well, firstly, I was hoping you could tell me why I'm here."

The Ancient One closed her eyes, "I'm sorry, but that's not something I know. Perhaps you will find out the answer as you explore your future."

Diana sighed and took a bit of the food and a sip of tea, "I thought so. It's never that easy. Well, then maybe you could send me home."

"I'm sorry, but that's impossible." The Ancient One told her.

"What? Why?"

"The power one must have to rip through dimensions is beyond that which I hold." The Ancient One replied, "You would have to search elsewhere for that sort of power."

"I thought that would be the case too, but I was hoping…" Diana shook her head before thoughtfully taking a sip of her tea, "Well, then the only thing I can ask of you is to put me in stasis."

"Stasis?" The Ancient One's eyebrows went up.

"I want to be able to help my friends when they wake up from being frozen."

"The Ancient One frowned, "Frozen?"

"Yeah. Steve's stuck in the Arctic Ocean right now, and I'm pretty sure he's due to wake up around 2011." Diana explained, "And Bucky… he's a bit more complicated. He'll really only permanently wake up in 2014 after escaping HYDRA."

"That is quite a long time to be sleeping."

"Well, it's either stasis or find someone who can do a sleeping curse that doesn't require True Love's Kiss to counter it." The blonde continued, "I'm pretty sure that the Eye of Agamotto might be able help."

"Ah, so you know what it does."

"Yeah I do. It's protected for now, but around 2018 a Titan called Thanos is gonna send his people to Earth to demand the Time Stone. I'd like to be around to protect it with my friends."

The Ancient One looked thoughtful, "I suppose I could bend the rules to help you this once, but I'm sure you know there will be a price."

Diana sighed, "Oh yes. All magic comes with a price."

"Indeed. However I don't know what that price will be or whether it will be on me or you." The Ancient One informed her, "I would like to do research to try and figure this out before attempting the spell. It may take a few days."

"I can take a few days in Kamar Taj."

The Ancient One nodded, "Excellent. I will have some quarters made up for you." She stood, "You have come from a warzone. Please rest and relax while I familiarize myself with the spells needed to help you."

Diana stood as well and bowed, "Thank you, Ancient One, for everything."

"Of course." The woman smiled serenely, "I will say that you do have the potential to learn magic."

"Really?" Diana looked a little surprised.

"Yes. You already have an open mind thanks to crossing dimensions, but we could take it one step further and open your spirit to the dimensions as well." The Ancient One hummed, "Although perhaps we should wait until you wake to begin, if you like, of course."

"I'd like that very much."

"Then it's settled. I believe you said that the good Captain would be waking up around 2011."

"Yes."

"I'll look in the tomes to see what I would have to do to have you in stasis for sixty-six years." The Ancient One told her, "I will send an attendant to fetch you to your quarters when they are ready. Please continue to enjoy the meal and the tea." With that she swept out of the room.

"Diana didn't have to wait long before an attendant came and brought her to her room. It was a simple bed with a small desk and oil lamp in one corner and an end table next to the bed.

"I hope this works." Diana murmured to herself, "Otherwise I'll be completely useless when it's actually important."

*FMttM*

It took over a month of watching the novice sorcerers practice, and participating a little in the practices, before the Ancient One approached Diana to tell her that everything was ready to put her in stasis.

"I hope you have found your room comfortable." The Ancient One said.

"Yeah, it's a really nice room, just as good as the one I had with the SSR."

"Good. I believe it's the best place to perform the ritual." She had the necklace with the Time Stone in it around her neck.

"That's fine."

They walked to her quarters. Diana had taken to wearing the novice robes, keeping only Bucky's locket around her neck, which Kamar Taj had provided for her on her second day at the Sanctum. She decided that the robes would be comfortable enough to sleep in.

"This spell will not make you sleep." The Ancient One informed Diana, "Rather it will freeze your body in time until the spell is released on the first of January, 2011 at midnight. It may take you some time to recover from the stasis, but I will be at your side when you wake."

Diana sat on her bed, "Thank you so much, Ancient One, for helping me."

"Your path is a long and arduous one, my dear." The Ancient One said, "The small ripples you've made in the lives you've touched have left marks. I look forward to seeing how your future unfolds as you take the reins of your life anew in the new century."

Diana smiled, "I'll wake up 'tomorrow' and it'll be 2011." She got under the covers so that she could pretend she was sleeping. "I'm ready." She lay her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes, listening to the Ancient One as she began to chant.

*FMttM*

Diana's eyes snapped open and she gasped, "What? Didn't it work?" That was when she realized that no sound was coming from her voice box.

A hand pushed her back into the pillow, "Relax, Diana. It will take you a while to recover." The voice was strangely distorted, like she was hearing it underwater. She looked toward the voice and realized her vision was extremely blurry too.

She rubbed her eyes, but that didn't help. "This is your price, Diana. Although I'm certain all will return to normal in a few days." She knew that voice, maybe… The Ancient One?

Diana reached out and a hand grasped hers comfortingly. At least her sense of touch was normal.

"Sleep, Diana. I will wake you once again and have my attendants help you with anything you need."

"Thank you." Diana mouthed and closed her eyes again and fell into a deep sleep.

*FMttM*

As the Ancient One had told her before her sixty-six years in stasis, Diana could join the sorcerers and begin to learn magic. The Ancient One had started her on meditation and opening her spirit to the multiverse while Diana was still recovering from the price of magic.

It took several days before Diana's voice returned, several weeks for her hearing to fully recover, and a few months for her vision to finally clear. In April, once her health was in the clear, the Ancient One had told Diana that she would designate a Master for her to teach her the ways of the mystic arts.

"Diana," the Ancient One addressed her softly as the younger woman was doing Tai Chi in the courtyard, "I would like you to come meet your new Master."

A tall black man stood next to the Ancient One. He had intense, but kind dark eyes and a shaved head. He looked a bit familiar to Diana, but she couldn't place him as she approached.

"Hello, Miss Larson," he said politely, extending his hand. He had a mild accent that she couldn't place, "I'm Daniel Drumm, the Master of the Sanctum Sanctorum in New York. The Ancient One told me you needed a Master to teach you, and due to extenuating circumstances need a bit more privacy than our other pupils."

Diana's eyes darted to the Ancient One, who gave her an encouraging look. The blonde took Drumm's hand and shook it, "Yeah, I've been in stasis for about sixty-six years and just recovered from the after-effects of the spell."

"The mystic arts can do amazing things." Drumm had a small smile as he nodded, "You will be my first apprentice in quite a few years. I hope you're up to the task."

"I'll do my best, Master Drumm." Diana told him.

The Ancient One smiled, "I shall leave the two of you to get acquainted."

"Thank you, Ancient One." Drumm bowed to her and Diana followed suit. He then turned back to his new pupil, "Come, let's take a walk." He motioned toward the courtyard where some novices were practicing tai chi and getting ready for the day's Sling Ring lesson. Drumm spoke again, "One of the first lessons we shall have is to assess your current abilities."

"I actually had some hand-to-hand training when I was in the army before I came here. I learned a bit of judo."

He put a hand up to rub his chin, "Yes, sixty-six years would put you around 1945, wouldn't it? Were you with any particular division?"

The blonde paused. It was 2011. Did the Smithsonian have the Captain America exhibit up yet? Steve must be well known due to the time that had passed and the fact that many of his actions helped to bring the war to an end. Diana decided to be truthful with Drumm. She had to put her trust in him as she had Steve and Bucky, "Well, I was with the SSR and the Howling Commandos." Her hand unconsciously came up to touch Bucky's locket.

"This did not go unnoticed by Drumm, but he simply said, "I see. I hope you will tell me more when we get home."

"Home?"

"To the New York Sanctum Sanctorum."

"Oh, right." Diana understood, "I just thought we'd be staying here longer."

"There's no need. I would like to get you settled as soon as possible and being our lessons after that. You have a lot to learn about the mystic arts, and I would like to continue your training in hand-to-hand combat."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"They used the portal room to travel from Nepal to New York. Once Diana had settled into her new quarters, she and Drumm sat for a late supper.

"I am sure you noticed my accent." Drumm said, "I myself am a native Haitian, but I moved to the United States to go to University, applied and received dual-citizenship, and returned to Haiti to teach. Unfortunately, much of the school where I was teaching was damaged or destroyed in an earthquake in 1994 and we did not have the funds to rebuild." There was pain in his expression, "I lost my children in that tragedy and my wife could not take the pain and took her own life a few weeks later. I sought spiritual help in Voodoo, trying to contact my family, at first." He paused to take in Diana's expression.

The young woman couldn't even imagine going through something like that. Growing up in Minnesota prevented her from experiencing most disasters - natural or otherwise. Even tornados were rare where she lived. The worst she'd seen was a thunder-blizzard and major ice storms. "I can't imagine what you were going through."

Drumm gave a curt nod, "Most are not accepting of the practice of Voodoo or even Hoodoo. But it has always been a part of my family's culture. Some of my ancestors were witch doctors, you see." He got a far away look in his eyes as he looked out one of the windows to New York City. "Well, my only family was my younger brother Jericho who was still at University in the United States. He was the one who had found out about Kamar Taj - apparently our mother mentioned the Sanctum Sanctorum in New York at one time. Jericho encouraged me to find my spiritual healing there. As you can see, I'm still here and have even gained the title of Master of the Mystic Arts and am charged with protecting the New York Sanctum Sanctorum."

"How long did you spend studying the Mystic Arts before gaining the title of Master?" Diana asked curiously.

Drumm laughed, a low rumble in the back of his throat, "So eager to be free of me?"

"No!" She blushed, "No, I was just curious. I bet it's different for everyone."

"Hmm…" He looked out the window again, "I believe it took me about eight or nine years of daily study to become a Master, and four more to be deemed worthy of protecting the Sanctum Sanctorum in New York. However, it's different for each person. There have been some novices who have spent twelve years or more trying to receive a mastery."

"Oh wow. So, is it pretty hard to get a Mastery?"

"It depends on where your concentration lies." Drumm explained, "I focus on hand-to-hand combat as well as illusion, communication, and offensive spells."

"Wow. That's a lot to study."

Indeed it was. It was like going to University all over again, including the studying on weekends." He smiled in remembrance. He then turned to Diana, "Now, I have told you a little of my history. I would like to hear yours."

"It's really complicated."

"We have time. I plan for us to leave after supper," He informed her, "which is still quite a few hours away."

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you." Diana was a bit hesitant, "Did the Ancient One tell you anything about me before you met me?"

"She did tell me a few things about your history, including the stasis spell. She also mentioned something about you crossing over from a far away dimension that even we would have a difficult time touching."

"Yeah, you got that right." Diana relaxed a little, knowing that she would more easily be able to tell her history if he already knew about her general origins, "Okay, so -"

*FMttM*

The New York Sanctum was very different from Kamar Taj. It was housed in an old building that was probably built (or rebuilt was more likely) in the late 1800s. There were several floors dedicated to different purposes, including hand-to-hand, portals, Sling Ring practice, relics, quarters, and some others.

Diana was given a couple days to settle in, tour the building, and familiarize herself with the Bleecker Street block. Drumm also insisted that she get a new wardrobe as all she had were the robes from Kamar Taj and her army uniform from 1945. Diana could see the logic as Drumm only wore robes when he was inside the Sanctum. When he had errands in New York, he would dress like a modern New Yorker with hints to his Haitian past.

The first time she actually met with Drumm to begin her training, "Our first lesson will be to review your meditation practices. Should I be pleased with the results, we can move on to astral projection."

This took Diana three weeks to fully master self-astral projection to the point where Master Drumm was pleased with the results as well as with her ability to control her movements on the astral plane. Drumm had told her to use caution because there were more powerful beings out there who could see the astral plane and hurt her despite being in the normal plane of existence.

Her next string of lessons seemed to be a big secret as Master Drumm wouldn't tell her anything about them until the day they began.

Drumm handed her a small black box with a silver ribbon tied around it, "This object will be one of the most important artifacts you carry. Other than the relic or relics that choose you, you MUST NOT lose this."

Diana opened the box and found herself staring at a brass Sling Ring, "We're going to start learning how to open portals?" She held up the ring.

"You will first need to know how to channel your magic in the correct form before you can fully create a portal." Drumm told her, "All novices start here, and my apprentice shall be no different."

"How does it work?" She was about to slip on the ring, but the Master stopped her.

"Before we start trying to create portals, we will need to work on your three D's."

"Oh! Like apparition in _Harry Potter_!"

"Drumm looked surprised, "I hadn't thought you'd -" He paused and chuckled, "Then again, you are from another universe and time. I ought to have guessed that you might be familiar with the concept."

"I know two of the three D's by heart," Diana told him, "Destination and determination."

"That's correct. The third is deliberation." Drumm explained, "It is the best way I have found to teach creating portals with the Sling Ring."

"Alright. How do we start?"

"First, you need to be able to completely visualize the place you need to go." The Master began to teach, "Unfortunately, if you haven't been somewhere, like Paris or Siberia, simply picturing the landscape you THINK is there will cause the portal to drop you someplace random."

"Does that happen a lot?"

"Only to those foolish enough to think that they can do it."

"What about people? If I can picture someone with perfect clarity, would a portal open to that person?"

"A person can move. A place cannot. Simply picturing a person might put you, inside them, on top of them, or hopefully solely in a random location. Do NOT try that. I'm sure it'll end up in disaster."

"I won't. I promise."

"Until you can visualize a destination with perfect clarity, you will not be able to create a portal."

"What about the other two D's?"

"Those feed into the destination. If you are not determined to get where you want, your visualization will be imprecise. If you are not deliberate in where you want to go, your portal will be in a completely different location than the one you have chosen." He emphatically told her, "It is imperative that you have a clear, deliberate destination."

"Alright, so where do we start with the visualization?"

"Imagine a place you are most familiar with. It can be here or in Kamar Taj or any other location you can imagine in great detail." He paused, "Although I would advise against using anything from your universe as it might not be where you think it is in this one. We don't want to startle anyone and have them call the police."

"Yeah, that would be bad." Diana thought of a place that she could visualize in great detail. The only place that came to mind were her quarters in Kamar Taj.

"After a moment, Master Drumm spoke, "Do you have an image in your mind?"

"Yes. I think so."

"You either do or you don't. You cannot just 'think so.' That is detrimental to 'deliberation' and your portal will not form." He said, "Let's see how strong your portal is with your current image." Drumm demonstrated the circular hand motion sans Sling Ring, "This motion will create your portal. Do it."

Diana slipped on the Sling Ring and raised her hands, repeating the exact motion that Master Drumm had done. As her free hand circled, a few sparks appeared in the air, but those barely created a tenth of the portal circumference. Her arms were getting tired as she continued, and she became less enthusiastic about creating the doorway.

"Stop." Drumm ordered. She dropped her arms and turned to look at him. He was frowning, "Not only did you not have a deliberate picture in mind, but you lost your determination to get there. That is why you failed to create a portal." He stared at her critically, "Were you officially a part of the army during World War II?"

"Kind of… I only got a crash course in basic training and then never really had to continue with that exercise regimen once I got past the initial training. Why?"

"Your endurance and stamina are dismal." Drumm replied, "You must be able to concentrate on your portal at an instant's notice and get the entrance and exit in the correct locations with distractions of all sorts around you. Again."

"And so started the Sling Ring lessons. She didn't master the Sling Ring completely for another two weeks.

*FMttM*

Diana's next tasks were half a day of practicing various martial arts (including brushing up on her judo) and beginning to study the theory behind the mystic arts - aka reading tomes from the Sanctum Library and Kamar Taj. Drumm insisted that she knew the theory of the various branches before beginning to practice.

She started off reading the tomes in from the New York Sanctum, and made her own notes of spells she wouldn't mind learning. Many of them were defensive or healing spells with only a few that would be considered offensive. When Master Drumm noted her specific interests, he brought her tomes back from Kamar Taj that focused specifically on those branches of magic.

"Choose two spells you would like to learn." He told her, "We'll concentrate on those first."

Diana really wanted to learn the shield spell Doctor Strange would favor, they were apparently called Tao Mandalas and could only be learned through Eldritch magic. This branch of magic could also create the Eldritch Whips that Doctor Strange would favor, but she really didn't want to be a repeat - or pre-peat - of the future Sorcerer Supreme. She also wanted to eventually learn Vishanti Shield of Personal Defense since it seemed to be a lot like Mage Armor from various video games she'd played.

There were also four healing spells that she wanted to learn and added them to her list. They would definitely be helpful in the future when she joined Steve and the Avengers in making this world, this galaxy, this universe safe from evils like Thanos and Dormammu. She wanted to be useful, and a medical license was out of the question since she had no identification papers, proof that she graduated high school, or even transcripts from the college she'd been attending.

When Diana showed Master Drumm her list of spells she wanted to learn, he decided that the Eldritch magic - Tao Mandala focus - and the Healing from injuries spells would be her starting points.

This would take months.

*FMttM*

Diana had been living at the New York Sanctum for eight months. It would be her first Christmas back in the modern era.

Master Drumm finished with their magical exercises, having taught her the Mandalas, single and dual, as well as the two of the four healing spells. He told her to change into civilian clothes and meet him in the main hall.

With the yuletide season quickly approaching, I thought it only right to find you an appropriate gift. I know you have no true identity in this time, although I was able to contact a former RAF Intelligence Agent through an associate at the London Sanctum who knew of your existence during World War II…"

"Lee? You spoke to Lee?" Diana's eyebrows went up.

"I was surprised to learn that he actually knew you had entered the London Sanctum in 1945. I suppose Miss Carter informed him or he found out through his Intelligence web. He was able to use his old connections and a few favors to get you identification papers." Drumm looked amused, "But that's only half my gift. You see, I needed you to have those papers in order to buy you an apartment." He held up a pair of keys, "It's not much, although it's fairly far away from the Sanctum."

Diana stared at the keys in his hand, "Where is it?"

"I can't afford much, but I was able to buy you an apartment in Hell's Kitchen."

Her breath hitched, "Hell's… Kitchen?"

"I hope that's not a problem. Yes, it's far away, but you have mastered the Sling Ring. Returning for your daily lessons shouldn't be a problem."

"Yeah, but… Hell's Kitchen!" She was actually smiling.

"I don't understand…" Drumm looked confused by her enthusiasm.

"My friend Luke Murdock's grandson Matt lives in Hell's Kitchen as far as I know."

"Then it must've been providence that I found this apartment."

"I should think so. I mean, I don't mind living at the Sanctum, but it'd be nice to have my own place."

Drumm handed her the keys, "Then this is my gift to you."

Diana stared at the keys in her hand, "If this is the same apartment building as Matt, I'm gonna freak out."

"Shall we go there using normal transportation, or shall we simply Sling to an alley and walk from there?" Drumm asked, a bit of mischief in his expression.

She laughed, "Oh please, let's Sling there. Then we can take public transit back to the Sanctum."

"Very well. I have already scouted various hidden locations for you to use your Ring. I'll open the portal." Drumm turned from her and did exactly as he said, opening a portal to a dingy alley, "Follow me, Diana."

She stepped through the portal after the Master and followed him to an apartment building. It was a little dank, but relatively nice, considering there were WAY worse places. Hopefully the building wasn't under Wilson Fisk's fist.

"This is really nice of you to do, Master Drumm."

"Please, call me Daniel." He told her with a smile. As he led her to the elevator and pressed the button for the sixth floor. Now, the penthouse apartment on the seventh floor is taken, but I got you the next best one below it. Apparently the tenant above is very quiet." He came to a door and stepped to one side, "This is you."

"Seriously?" Diana was practically vibrating with excitement as she unlocked the door. When she stepped through the threshold she gawked, "Oh my god!" There was already furniture in there, "Oh my god! You bought my furniture too?!"

Daniel chuckled, "Well, I wanted to make sure my student had comfortable living quarters."

"Thank you!" She threw her arms around him, "You have no idea how much this means to me! It'll be my first place! My own place!" Diana let go of Drumm and started wandering around her new apartment with a big dopey grin on her face.

She entered the bedroom, "You already brought my clothes here too!" She rapidly looked through her clothes and couldn't help but laugh, "This is awesome!"

Daniel sat on the couch in the living room, "I'm glad you like it."

Diana crossed from the bedroom to the kitchen, "Like it? More like love it." She looked through the cupboards and found dishes and silverware. She then peeked in the fridge,

"You got me food too! Is there anything you didn't do?"

"Well, to be honest, I had to get Tina to help a little. She and some of her students helped choose the decor."

"Yeah, but… this is way too much!" Diana told him, returning to the living room and plopping down on the couch beside him.

"You needed a place to call your own. And I, as your Master, took it upon myself to provide it for you. You deserve it."

"I wasn't expecting something this big for Christmas. Maybe a book or something, but this? It's -"

"Diana," Daniel gave an exasperated sigh, "this is your apartment. You can come and go as you please. And no, it's not too much."

"Thank you. Thank you."

"Oh, by the way, Tina found this for you and wished for you to have it." He took a small package from his jacket pocket and handed it to Diana. "She wouldn't tell me what it was."

The blonde opened the box and her breath caught, "Is this…?"

Master Drumm looked inside and hummed, "It isn't the original. I'm fairly certain that's at the Smithsonian, but Tina thought you'd like it."

Diana felt like crying. All of the Kamar Taj and Sanctum Masters knew of her time in stasis from World War II, but she never imagined that one of them would find her a framed photograph of all of the Howling Commandos. She ran her fingers over Bucky's solemn face and a few tears escaped her eyes, "I promise," she whispered, "I will find you, and I will help you come back to me, to us." Daniel had a compassionate look on his face. "Tell Tina 'thank you.' This is a wonderful gift."

"She'll be glad to hear it."

"Oh, and if you contact Lee again, tell him where I am. I don't know how much a ninety-something year old can do, but I think he'd like it if he knew where I was."

"You can write to him yourself. We have his contact information from the papers he sent over. It'll have to go through the RAF, of course, but he would get correspondence."

"I'll do that."

"Daniel stood and wiped his hands on his jeans to brush off imaginary dust, "I think I'll let you settle in." He paused, "Remember the rules, too. No mysticism outside the Sanctum, unless you're Slinging in for a lesson."

"Of course." Diana held the picture to her check, "I won't do any of that until I come to meet you tomorrow."

"Daniel nodded and took out his own Sling Ring, "I'll see you tomorrow, Diana." He opened a portal to the Sanctum, stepped through and closed it after him.

Diana took a deep breath and looked at the photograph again, "I miss you guys." She glared at Steve's face, "You better wake up soon. I'm waiting to see you again." She set the picture on an end table where she could see it whenever she sat on the couch. Diana smiled, "I think this place will work out nicely."

*FMttM*

Diana switched between walking to the Sanctum and making a portal home and making a portal to the Sanctum and walking home. Sure it took her about an hour to walk, but each day she would keep her eyes open for Steve as she left Bleecker Street; he hadn't woken up at any time during the last year either, and Diana had checked diligently once she'd made her home at the New York Sanctum. She was sure he would be waking up any day now.

She had been in her apartment for a month and hadn't seen or met many of the other tenants - a couple awkward elevator rides, and bumping into a woman at the mailboxes was about it. However, she came home from a particular grueling day at the Sanctum where Master Daniel had trained her all morning in kung fu (to add to her amateur judo) and all afternoon exhausting her with astral projection training and Tao Mandela training spells. He wanted her to be after, since her spellcraft seemed to concentrate on defense rather than attack, and it was better to dodge a stronger opponent than to let them shatter her Shield spells.

As she walked in the door, Diana looked up to see a heavy-set blonde man waiting at the elevator. He wore a gray suit and looked rather professional. He was also holding a plastic bag from what smelled like the local Chinese restaurant. She blinked at him as he turned toward her. He was young - probably around her physical age - and he looked familiar. Before her tired mind could catch up to grasp at a memory, the guy smiled.

"Hi!" He greeted, "I haven't seen you here before."

She shrugged tiredly, "I've only been here for a month, and I'm not a huge social butterfly." That and being an ex-WWII nurse from the future and an alternate universe who was put in stasis by a bunch of sorcerers so she could help out the soon to be assembled Avengers and the Winter Soldier wasn't really believable conversation.

He laughed a little, "You sound like my friend Matt. He doesn't go out and socialize much unless I'm there to be his wingman. He's supposed to be MY wingman, damn it!"

Diana's mind finally caught up with her memory as the elevator dinged. Foggy. It was Foggy Nelson, best friend of Daredevil aka Matt Murdock… who apparently lived in her building. Oh providence, thou art so cruel. She hid her distress, which she was sure if Matt was listening in he heard, by visually wiping some hair that was plastered against her face from the snow outside of her eyes. "I haven't met this Matt guy." They stepped into the elevator and pressed their respective floor buttons.

Foggy looked a little relieved, "Oh good. The cute girls always seem to go after him for some reason. I don't get it. What's not to love about Foggy Nelson?" He spread out his arms, the Chinese food bag swaying.

She smiled, "From what I've seen so far, you're a teddy bear."

He grinned, "Oh yeah? Well, maybe you should come over to hang out, and I can brag to my favorite avocado that I actually met a nice girl before him." He flushed a little, "Uh, sorry. Umm… I didn't mean to sound…"

"Foot in mouth disease." Diana couldn't help but smile a little, "I can understand that."

He shuffled slightly, his gaze cast downward, "I'm still sorry. I don't even know your name."

"Diana Larson." She replied and held out her hand. He changed the Chinese food from his right hand to his left, wiped his hand on his pant leg, and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you."

The elevator dinged at Diana's floor, "This is me." She stepped out.

Foggy held open the door, "Matt's apartment is right above this. If you want to stop by, I'm sure he won't mind."

She nodded, "Thanks for the invite, but I don't think I'll be able to make it tonight."

His face fell to disappointment, "Oh, okay."

"Sorry." She said and winced when the elevator door alarm blared.

"I'll see you around then." Foggy practically shouted.

"I hope so. It was nice meeting you Foggy."

"Ciao!" He let the doors close and the elevator continued its way up to the penthouse apartment.

In some ways, Diana would have loved to have met Matt, Luke's grandson, but in others… it made her nervous as hell. Matt would be able to pick out every single alteration in her backstory, every lie, and she'd probably have to spill the entire unbelievable truth to him to get him to trust her. Did she even want to get involved in his story? She pondered as she unlocked the door to her apartment. Kingpin and the Hand were pretty big problems - Fisk, Gao, Bokuto, Nobu, the Black Sky, the Crane Mother. The Hand was probably up there with HYDRA in "take over the world!" points.

"I'll think about it." Diana muttered to herself.

She collapsed onto her couch. Still no TV, no phone (cell or otherwise), and no computer with Internet… because no money. Maybe she should get a job when her training became easier. Master Daniel was pushing her hard… almost as if he sensed the incoming alien invasion. Hmmm…

*FMttM*

Diana was surprised to not see much of Foggy in the next couple months, and when she did see him, he was usually leaving Matt's apartment rather than coming to it. She briefly wondered if Matt periodically zeroed in on her everyday doings or kept it as white noise unless Foggy was around? Still, she was careful about what she said out loud to herself while in the general vicinity of her apartment building. Just knowing Matt was there and could be listening put her a little on edge.

She finally decided to tell Master Daniel about it when he commented on how stressed she looked during a meditation session.

"I treated a kid named Luke Murdock during WWII. No one really knew this except for the SSR and probably British RAF High Intelligence, but Luke had been captured by HYDRA and experimented upon, like Bucky Barnes." Her voice cracked a bit when she said Bucky's name, but she cleared her throat and plowed on, "Luke was a really good kid, but he had buried anger issues. Not enough to turn him Hulk-like, but his comrades started saying he 'had the devil in him.'"

"And where is he now?"

"I'm assuming he's dead." Diana told Master Daniel, "His grandson is still alive though."

"Ah, I'm guessing this is the crux of the matter."

"Yeah. Matt Murdock. His dad was Jack Murdock and no one could knock him out, and he wouldn't stay down during a fight." Diana smiled a little, "If I'd known him, I probably would've said he reminded me of Steve. He liked to say, 'I could do this all day.' And so could Jack, although the circumstances were way different. No one could keep him down!" She told Master Daniel, "I'm guessing that was the diluted serum helping Jack out. Steve always had a thick skull too - and I don't mean he was stubborn, even though he was, but that serum made him really hard to knock out. Unfortunately a thick skull doesn't stop a bullet, so..." She trailed off.

"And the youngest Mr. Murdock? What did he inherit from his grandfather's super soldier serum?"

Diana smiled a little, "Well, Matt's a special case. You see, he was in an accident when he was nine or ten and some mysterious chemicals splashed onto his face and into his eyes. His face was undamaged, but he lost his sight. That's when the serum must've kicked in because all of his other senses were turned up to twenty! He even had to get special training from a blind guy named Stick."

Master Daniel frowned, "Stick. I've heard of that man. He's affiliated with a sect of martial artists called The Chaste. Not much is known about them, but they, along with the legendary Iron Fist, are the sworn enemies of the Hand."

She nodded, "Yeah, and Matt trained with them. It's like Stick has his own League of Assassins, but they're aimed at another League of Assassins that has the power to give them immortality."

Master Daniel leaned forward, "This is something we have not heard. Go on."

"Well," she hesitated, "I can't remember what the ritual is called, but the Hand will put a dead or dying person in a special coffin thing and use some mojo to revive them. It's like a Lazarus Pit or something. It even has the increased bloodlust side-effect!" Diana made a disgusted expression, "And the only way to kill a resurrected person permanently is to Highlander their head off. There's actually one of the resurrected here in New York: Harold Meachum. He's in hiding, but contacts his son frequently to give him direction on how to run Rand Corporation."

"We've had our eyes on that Corporation for a while, along with Union Allied when the Kingpin decided to partner with the Lady Gao." Master Daniel looked like he had swallowed a lemon, "You have given me much to think about. To think that the Hand has been growing under our noses. I must inform the Ancient One when we've finished our discussion." He informed Diana, "But first we must solve your stresses."

"Okay, I don't know how far Matt's hearing abilities go, but my apartment is right below his. I also met his best friend, and Matt's extremely protective of his friends to the point where he'd threaten and try to kick the ass of a person who he thought was bad for his friend. He got that aspect of his grandfather's serum too - heightened anger. And even though Matt can't see in a conventional sense, he does kind of… see. He calls it the 'world on fire.'"

"So you're worried to speak or do anything that he might find suspicious or untrustworthy."

"Yeah."

"Well, the only way I can see to solve this problem is by telling him who you are, who you really are."

"Oh, yeah, then I'd end up in the nuthouse before you could say 'Shambala.'"

"Or he might believe you. If he is enhanced as you say with a diluted version of the Super Soldier Serum, then he already has experience with the extra-normal." Master Daniel told her, "Furthermore, you've Slinged here many times. I imagine the portal sounds very strange to young Murdock, so he might suspect that something's different about you already."

"You're probably right. As usual."

"Master Daniel smiled, "You will just have to find the right time to inform him. Would you want his friend to be around for the information?"

"Foggy doesn't know anything about Matt being enhanced. It's not my secret to tell, so no, not yet."

"Then perhaps you could call upon him soon."

"I'll think about it."

"In the meantime, you are always welcome to stay in your old quarters here at the Sanctum if going home gives you too much stress."

"You know, after admitting all of that, I do feel better. If anything changes, I'll come back here to stay a few nights."

"Good. Now, let's get back to your training."


	8. The Avengers

**Some of you may be disappointed that I haven't labelled this chapter as Part 1 of _The Avengers_. There is a reason for that and it begins with H.**

 **Still, I hope you enjoy what I have written for this short Battle of New York. I think what happens in the aftermath is more important because I didn't copy/paste the movie script... or at least not a lot of it. Also, there's a tiny bit of _Endgame_ in here (from a small addition).**

 **Enjoy and review!**

*FMttM*

April rolled around and Diana had been stubborn about contacting Matt to explain herself and anything he had heard from her conversations with Foggy (she'd had one with a few "Hey, how are you?" greetings) and conversations with herself - or even dreams. She had no plan on how to explain the stuff that would make no sense, like calling out for Bucky or Steve or Daredevil… The last one would be a little more covert since Matt wasn't called Daredevil for at least until the end of the First Season… whenever that was… 2015-ish?

She still hadn't decided what to say or how to say it so Matt wouldn't think she was completely crazy or say that while she might believe it was true, but that didn't make it true.

It was mid-April, and Diana had actually started jogging home rather than walking home to get some cardio, something that Master Daniel encouraged. She was stretching her arms on the steps of the Sanctum when she had to stop and stare, stunned.

A man in a white-ish gray t-shirt with a SHIELD logo on it and khaki trousers came running towards her with a speed that was pretty unusual for a human being. Diana's heart rate quickened and a smile bloomed on her face.

"Steve!" She shouted, practically jumping down the steps as he came to a halt in front of the Sanctum, "You found the place!"

The Captain wrapped her up in a big bear hug, "Those people tried to trick me into thinking it was still the forties. There was the baseball game playing on the radio; it was an old one that I'd been to, so… To see if they were lying, I asked for you, and the lady, who was another tip off that something was wrong, just looked confused. That was the last straw. " He drew back to look at her.

"They really should've done their research."

He chuckled, "And you told me to look for you, and here I am."

Diana couldn't help but grin again, "Come on inside." She opened the huge door and the two of them entered the Sanctum.

"The sorcerer thing worked, obviously." Steve said, before he paused, "What year is it?"

"I was a year off. I thought you'd wake up in 2011, but here you are in 2012." Diana shrugged, "I hope SHIELD doesn't spend too long looking for you."

The super soldier made a sour face, "They didn't give the best first impression, trying to lie to me like that."

"I'm sure they just didn't want you going through massive culture shock."

"The truth's always better, but I guess if that's the way they saw it, they were just doing what they thought best." He looked around the Sanctum, "What is this place?"

"This is the New York Sanctum Sanctorum. It's an offshoot of Kamar Taj in Nepal." Diana explained.

Steve's artist eyes took in the architecture, "It's a beautiful building."

"Thank you," came a new voice, the voice of Daniel Drumm. "The Sanctum is a sanctuary for all. Welcome Captain Rogers. Diana's been expecting you for a while."

Steve looked up the grand staircase at the tall black man in robes and his eyebrows went up. Diana cleared her throat, "Steve, this is Master Daniel Drumm. He's been my teacher for the past year."

As Master Daniel descended the stairs, Steve met him halfway with a proffered hand, "Nice to meet you, sir." The two men shook hands, "Thanks for taking care of Diana while I was frozen. Pretty sure Bucky'd have a fit if his girl wasn't well cared for." At the mention of Bucky, Steve's his jaw muscles worked as he successfully kept away tears when he remembered his best friend wasn't with him anymore.

"Diana can take care of herself well enough. I've taught her some magic that can protect and heal."

"So, you can do magic now?" Steve turned to look at the blonde woman.

Diana shrugged, "I wanted to be able to help in this day and age, not just be the go-to person for technology questions and stitches."

"Okay, I get that. I mean, I'm one to talk, right?" Steve gave a small smile.

She couldn't help but laugh at her old friend. Then she saw Master Daniel frown, "There's someone or rather several someones at the door. It's, of course, warded against intruders, but…"

"It's probably Fury or Coulson come to take their super soldier." Diana scowled.

Steve squared his shoulders, "I'm not going with them. You're my family now, Diana. You're all I've got from my time."

She shook her head, "Steve, go with them. They can help you more than I can right now. I just have an apartment in Hell's Kitchen with a possibly nosy neighbor living above me. And it's a one bedroom too."

"What do they want from me?" Steve asked her, trusting her knowledge implicitly.

"They found the Tesseract - the blue cube thingy Schmidt was using to make laser weapons."

The Captain groaned, "Please tell me they aren't doing something stupid with it."

Diana glanced sideways, "Well…"

His expression darkened, "I'll go with them if only to shout at them for trying to use the cube. It deserves to stay at the bottom of the sea!"

Diana walked him to the door, "If you ever have free time, drop by the Sanctum. If I'm not there, Master Daniel can take you to my place."

"Thanks, Diana." Steve bear-hugged her again, "I'm so glad you're here with me."

"I'm glad you're back." She hugged him as well and then let him out the door. Diana shut it before and SHIELD agent could see inside.

"So, that was Captain Rogers." Master Daniel looked contemplative.

"Yeah."

"He seems like a very good man, albeit perhaps a bit overwhelmed."

"He's one of the best." Diana smiled, glad that her friend was back, "I'll help him get back on his feet and up to date in this century."

"SHIELD may still be watching our door. You should Sling home." Master Daniel advised.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bright and early. Don't forget."

Diana smiled and slipped on her Sling Ring. She pictured her apartment and created a portal home.

*FMttM*

Over the next week or so, Diana heard nothing from Steve, and she'd started getting a bit worried about his well-being within SHIELD/HYDRA. During that time, Diana was able to get a job as a waitress at one of the cafes in Hell's Kitchen. While it cut into her training with Master Drumm, he had approved of Diana trying to earn her own way in the world. Most sorcerers became recluses and had little use for money; they preferred to trade.

Over a few days, with a week's paycheck and her tips, Diana was able to buy a small flat screen TV and a cheap DVD player from the Salvation Army. She didn't bother with getting cable since she wouldn't be able to pay for it anyway. She was also able to buy one DVD there as well - _Captain America_ \- from 1985. The movie starred Ed Harris as Captain America and Mark Hamill as Bucky Barnes with David Brinkley as Colonel Phillips and Meryl Streep as Agent Carter. Holy crap! She couldn't wait to show that to Steve!

However, it wasn't until May 1st that Steve reappeared at the Sanctum Sanctorum. He'd been waiting on the sidewalk outside in a henley jacket, shirt and jeans, and baseball cap pulled low over his eyes. If he hadn't called out, Diana wouldn't have recognized him.

"Diana!" He called out as he approached the stairs. She cringed because she knew SHIELD would be following him around.

Still, the blonde woman crossed her arms, "Where have you been? I was worried about you!"

Steve rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "I couldn't get a message to you in time, but SHIELD made me go to this cabin in the woods they called 'The Retreat' to try to help me adjust to being unfrozen. I wanted to insist that I knew better, but Colonel Fury - that's the Director of SHIELD - wouldn't allow it."

"We should move this inside. You never know what little birdie's listening in."

The Cap's eyebrows went up, "They can do that now? Just… listen in on anyone's conversation?"

"Technology's taken huge leaps forward in the areas of computing and communication." She explained, "Listening devices can be as small as insects now."

"Wow. I missed a lot, didn't I?"

Diana smiled, "Come on." She opened the door, "The wards - barriers - make electronics have a lot of interference, or so it's said."

The two of them entered, and Steve looked around the Sanctum again, "Someday I'd like to come in here and sketch the patterns on the walls and ceiling. I've never seen anything like it."

She grinned mischievously, "Do you want to see more magic?"

"What're you gonna do?"

"Kidnap you and have a party at my place." Diana slipped on her Sling Ring, "Watch this." She held out the Sling Ring and pictured her apartment while her free hand formed the circle for the portal. When the sparking ring was completely open, she turned to Steve with a grin, "Come on." She then stepped through the portal and held out a hand for Steve.

He cautiously approached and looked at the golden circle, "This is amazing, Diana. How'd you do it?"

"Well, the easiest answer is 'magic', but if you want to get sciency about it, I manipulate various energies to create a hole in the fabric of space to skip from one location to another - like poking a hole in a folded piece of paper."

Steve gave her an exasperated look, "I didn't really understand much of that, but I think I get the picture with the folded paper thing." He reached out to put his hand through the portal, "Can you close it? I doubt you'd want to leave holes in the fabric of space."

"Yeah, I can close it once you come through."

He nodded and took a step through the portal. With a swipe of her hand, Diana erased the portal as Steve looked around her apartment, "This is nice."

"Thanks. I've been here since December." She leaned toward Steve.

"What's this?" Steve asked, examining her television.

Diana smiled, "It's a personal cinema."

"A personal… really?" The Cap looked amazed.

"Yeah, although the proper name would be 'television' or abbreviated, 'TV.'" She stood next to him, "It not only catches news broadcasts, which are in color like _The Wizard of Oz_ by the way, but various companies like NBC and stuff have transferred from radio to TV. They have similar shows to what they had on the radio too: Just with pictures as well as sound."

"And this?" Steve arched an eyebrow as he picked up the case for the _Captain America_ DVD.

"It's a movie." She flushed a little, "I… I missed you, all of you."

He then turned over the case and looked at the back. His eyes widened, "This guy looks a lot like Bucky!" He pointed to one of the promo pictures of Harris and Hamill as Steve and Bucky.

"I saw it a few times. Harris isn't a perfect fit for you, but Mark Hamill? He's just as great as Bucky as he was as Luke Skywalker."

"I understood most of that, except that last part - Luke Skywalker. Who's that? And how would you even watch this?"

Diana smiled, "Luke Skywalker is the main character in a series of movies called _Star Wars_ ; the first movie came out in 1977, and it continued on from there. Luke is in Episodes IV to VIII." She took the case from Steve's hand, "As for how we'll play this… Let's just say it's like playing a record, but it has a story, music, and moving pictures!" She pointed to the cheap DVD player she'd found at the Salvation Army, "You play it in that."

"Wow!"

"Although since the War is so fresh in your mind, I think we should wait to watch this." She told him, "It shows Bucky's fall. I always have a hard time watching that, even with Mark Hamill."

"That's okay. We can do that another time. What else has changed since I went into the ice?"

Diana spent the next few hours telling him what she knew about the Modern Era, something SHIELD apparently neglected to do while he was at the cabin in the woods. She even made him supper.

As the sun started to set, Steve stood from the armchair he's taken while Diana went through her explanations, "Well, I think SHIELD is probably worrying about me." Steve told her, "I should probably be heading back."

She sighed, "Yeah, I know. I just… I've been here a year because I was wrong about when you would wake up. I've just been a bit…"

"Lonely?" Steve asked softly. Diana nodded and he continued, "That's how I felt being forced to go to the Retreat."

"I don't know how long we have until Loki attacks." She admitted.

"Loki?"

"Yeah. Apparently the Norse gods are aliens who can live for millennia." Diana explained, "And Loki discovered he was adopted and at least one birth parent was a Frost Giant - the monsters Asgardians tell their children about to get them to behave. The knowledge drove Loki a bit crazy, but it wasn't until he fell from their interplanetary bridge that he was captured by a horrible group of aliens called the Chitauri with their leaders The Other and Thanos the Mad Titan. They fed his grief and turned it to anger and hate."

"And what's he gonna do?"

"He's gonna come here and summon an army of Chitauri to invade and take over Earth."

The Captain sighed, "Not another megalomaniacal man who wants to take over the world."

"Of course," she gave a wan smiled, "and at that time SHIELD will talk to you about the Avengers Initiative, which will actively fight against global threats." Diana opened a portal back to the Sanctum and stepped through with Steve.

"Thanks for the heads up." He turned to her and gave her his signature bear hug, "I'll come by again as soon as I can."

She nodded and hugged him back, "I'll see you again soon."

"Thanks for the technology update and for supper. You're actually a pretty good cook."

"Boxed spaghetti and jarred tomato sauce… That's nothing," she waved off the compliment, "but thank you."

Steve smiled, "See you, Diana."

"Be safe, Steve."

*FMttM*

Diana was finishing her shift at the cafe when, outside her window, she saw a blue light shoot up into the air and create a portal. Her eyes narrowed. Loki.

She clocked out and rushed home to change into her robes. To mask her identity, she painted on a silver mask with makeup paint. Diana also re-tied her hair so it would stay out of her face. Then, with her Sling Ring on her fingers, she made a portal quite close to Stark Tower.

As she stepped through the portal, she had to dodge some falling debris. It had already started. Diana grit her teeth, swished her hand to close her portal, and summoned one of her Tao Mandalas to enter the fray. She saw civilians running, and she stepped between them and the attacking Chitauri. She blocked their energy blasts with her shield before deciding to summon her second Mandala.

She ran around a corner and saw three people she hadn't been expecting. Diana stopped as the three men turned toward her in surprise. It was Steve, Tony, and Scott! Wait a second, what?

"Diana? What are you doing here?" Steve asked. He looked a little uneasy.

The apprentice sorceress's gaze flicked to the other two party members, zeroing in on the black shirt and pants Tony wore, "You're from Endgame, 2023."

"Yeah, we are," Steve confirmed, "Except we're from-"

She held up a hand, "Don't tell me anything about how it happens. I have always had an idea, but if I've changed things, I need to do them the same. Otherwise this would become a branch reality rather than a time loop."

Steve nodded, "I won't tell you anything, but I'm still going to warn you: the future you went with Bruce to get the Time Stone from the Ancient One."

"Good. I think with me there, Bruce will have an easier time getting the stone."

"Cap, we're on the clock and we have two stones to get," Tony said. He paused, "Any advice you can give us to make things easier?"

"Don't lose the Space Stone. It'll make returning the timeline to how it should be much harder. Remember you made Hulk take the stairs, so stay away from those doors," Diana took a moment to think before looking at Steve, "As much as I laughed at the 'America's Ass' joke, if you meet yourself while carrying the scepter, just tell the present day you that I sent you to get it. It might help."

The Captain nodded and gave her his signature bear hug. He squeezed her tight for a moment, "Thanks, Di. I knew I could always count on you."

"Be safe, Steve, Tony, Scott."

"You too."

The three of them ran off toward the tower.

After a pause to give the future Avengers a head start toward their mission objectives, Diana followed suit, using her shields to block blasts and fighting off Chitauri on the ground as best she could with her Mandalas. Whenever she saw civilians, she guarded them until they were safely out of the warzone. She was starting to wish she'd learned how to change a shield into the whip so she could actually retaliate. Oh well. Defending was good enough, and she could use her shields to bash Chitauri if they got too close

After a while of protecting civilians and bashing Chitauri, Diana heard Ironman fly over and blast some Chitauri that were fairly far from her, but could've easily shot at her. She sent him a salute before continuing on her way. Eventually, she saw a man in a star-spangled uniform and a man with a hammer and cape.

Diana continued to block Chitauri blasts as she inched closer to the two. Thor threw his hammer and took down a line of Chitauri just as Steve threw his shield at his own enemies. The hammer returned to Thor's hand, as the shield did to Steve. They stood back to back and the super soldier threw a punch at one alien as the prince smashed another with his hammer.

That's when Steve saw her and blinked, "What're you doing here!?" He shouted, "This is a war zone! You shouldn't be here!"

Diana only grinned and struck an approaching Chitauri with one shield while she defended from a Chitauri weapon blast with the other, "I think I'm pretty well equipped for this."

"Seidkona!" Thor called out, recognizing exactly what she was, "Is there anything else you can do to stop these creatures?"

She was close enough that it could be said they were a trio, "Sorry, your highness, but I'm still just a novice. I've got my shields and some healing spells, but that's about it."

"It's okay, Diana." Steve told her, "Any help you can give is great." Suddenly his eyes went wide and his hand went to his ear, "Do it!" He practically shouted. He paused before looking up to the sky, "Stark, these things are still coming!"

"The Nuke." Diana scowled and crossed her arms.

"Nuke?" Steve questioned. Thor didn't know what she was talking about either.

She explained quickly, "Toward the end of World War II, 1945, a project the American government had been working on had come to fruition - the Atomic Bomb. It used various sciency things to split the smallest molecules in the universe, atoms, in half creating a huge explosion. So, the Americans sent a bomb off to the city of Hiroshima, Japan and leveled the entire city in one swift stroke. Days later, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan and the same thing happened, complete devastation. The bombs were later refined into missiles because the United States was afraid that Russia, or the Soviet Union, would attack them and try to take over."

The three of them then looked up and watched as Ironman grabbed onto a missile and began to fly toward the portal. Steve's face was grim and his hand touched his earpiece again, "Stark, you know it's a one way trip."

Moments later, the center of the portal glowed orange with the explosion of the ship on the other side. Immediately the still alive Chitauri collapsed like puppets whose strings had been cut.

Steve looked to Diana, who glanced at him and nodded. The Captain had been looking for her approval on closing the portal or waiting for Stark. He then looked to Thor, but the Asgardian was watching the portal with a frown on his face. Making a decision he touched his ear again and said, "Close it." Moments later the portal vanished from the sky only to reveal a falling body, "Son of a gun." An almost smile appeared on his face which disappeared into worry when Ironman did not begin to fly.

"He's not slowing down." Thor noted with concern. He readied his hammer to capture his compatriot when the Hulk did his job for him.

Hulk landed safely on the ground nearby, and Diana, Steve, and Thor rushed to Stark's side. The Captain ripped off the Ironman faceplate, hoping Stark wasn't dead. The billionaire, playboy, philanthropist lay there, not moving. Neither the Captain nor the prince could tell whether Stark was dead or alive, so Steve looked to Diana.

She knelt next to Ironman and held a hand out. She didn't need to cast a spell to know he would live, though, thanks to her knowledge of the future, "He's alive, but unconscious. He spent too much time in outer space in a suit not meant for it."

Hulk suddenly roared at him and Stark awoke with a shout. The man took a few deep breaths while Hulk gave a victory yell that Friend-Stark was alive.

"Wh-what happened? Did we win?" Stark looked up at the Captain.

Steve sighed in relief and finally felt like he could relax, "Yeah, we won."

"Please tell me nobody kissed me." He then saw Diana kneeling beside him, "Except her. I wouldn't mind being kissed by her." He offered a weak smile.

"I thought you were taken." She arched an eyebrow, "Hmmm… what would Pepper say?"

Tony grimaced, "Well, whoever you are, looks like you came complete with your own superhero costume to help." He paused and looked to the Captain, "She did help, right? She's not some flunky from Loki sent to trick us, right?"

Steve laughed softly, "Yeah, Stark. She helped."

"Hey, what do you guys think of shawarma?" Ironman suddenly asked, "There's this great place not far from here that makes it, and I've always wanted to try it. What do you think?"

"We should probably deal with Loki first." Steve said, "I think the Hulk did a number on him."

The Hulk gave a loud grunt.

Diana smiled at Doctor Bruce Banner's alter ego, "Puny god, right Hulk?"

The green giant cocked his head to the side, "Very puny," and grinned viciously.

Steve helped Stark to his feet, and they began to head toward the Tower. The Captain paused when he noticed Diana wasn't following him, "You coming?"

"I've done my part. Now I think I'll disappear."

"SHIELD'll be looking for you." The Captain told her.

Diana smirked, "Let them look. I'd rather not connect with SHIELD as a group, but rather with various individuals I know I can trust."

He nodded, "Okay. I understand. I'll see you later, I promise."

"Definitely."

Stark's eyes had been darting from the Captain to Diana during the exchange, the wheels turning in his head. He opened his mouth to probably ask something, but Steve quite literally swung him around. As they walked away, she heard Stark ask, "You know that girl, Capsicle? Who is she? Why doesn't she like SHIELD, although I can completely understand her reservations. The pirate's secrets have secrets and-"

Steve mumbled something back, but Diana was out of clear earshot as she rounded a corner and found some debris that would cover her portal.

Unfortunately, some of the debris fell on her and broke her concentration just as she formed the portal. When she quickly stepped through it to avoid the rest it the portal unceremoniously dropped her outside her building.

"Dammit. Ow." It was then she realized that the some of the Chitauri had, in fact, landed hits on her. She held her side and groaned, "Shit," before starting toward the door to her apartment building.

Diana got in the doorway and headed toward the elevator, very glad that there were no cameras in the entire building. She passed the mailboxes, rounded the corner to the elevators, and stopped cold. Hunched over, with his knees close to his chest, his hands over his ears, and his eyes squeezed tightly shut was Matt Murdock. His cane had fallen off to one side, and his crimson glasses looked like they'd been ripped off and tossed aside.

"Oh god…" She breathed. She'd never considered before how someone like Matt, who could hear a cacophony of noise in a ten block radius, would handle a war zone like what had just happened near Stark Tower. Screams and cries and death moans; weeping and wailing and crunching of bones; collapses and screeches and building groans. How could he handle that? How… She looked closer at him and realized very quickly that he wasn't handling it. He was deathly pale, trembling and sweating, his teeth clenched, perhaps to the point they'd break.

Diana knew she needed to get him out of there. His abilities were something he kept secret, even from his best friend, and she wasn't about to let him show it to any random person who passed by and cared much less than she did.

So, she knelt next to him and murmured softly, "Matthew Murdock." He gave no indication that he heard her, but she continued anyway, "Matthew Murdock, listen to my voice. Use my voice to drown out the pain and sorrow you hear from the battle. Use my voice to find your way back." She paused when she saw his eyebrows twitch and knew he'd latched on.

"I know you don't know me, at least not personally, but I'm sure you've listened in accidentally or even on purpose to conversations I've had. Foggy probably told you about me." At the mention of his friend, Matt tensed, but in a different way, "I won't tell him about this episode, of course. It's your secret to tell." That made him relax a bit more, "Although you're probably wondering how I already know about your… skill set." Diana chose her words carefully as she began to get nervous, "I… My life is a damn clusterfuck, Matt." She paused and grimaced, "Sorry about the bad language. Steve would scold me, shaking his finger and saying, 'Language, Diana.' Not that he ever did that to Bucky. I think Steve was used to his best friend's light swearing enough to not scold."

She smiled sadly as she remembered that her Sergeant could easily be in cryo somewhere in New York or DC right now. Diana shook her head to clear her thoughts, "I've actually been looking forward to and dreading meeting you. Since I talked to Foggy I knew you'd be listening closely to anything I said, judging my trustworthiness and character. I'd never be able to lie to you, but trying to tell you my origin story… It's just so crazy, especially considering the fact that just because you believe in something doesn't make it true." She sighed, "God, I'm a mess." She cringed again at the use of 'God' as a curse word and looked down at her hands.

"You smell like blood." His voice came out quiet, barely there, "You were in the battle."

She sighed, "No hiding anything from you, huh? Yes. I was there."

"How'd you get back here so fast? The fight just ended minutes ago."

Diana looked at Matt now. He still had one hand protecting an ear, but his blank gaze stared somewhere just over her left shoulder. She sighed, "That is part of my skill set, and you've probably heard or felt it when I've used it before."

His eyes narrowed and his brows furrowed, "The static charge?"

She shrugged, "Not sure. Could be." Diana paused and looked around, "Hey, think you can stand? We should really get out of the public area if you want to keep your abilities secret."

"Yeah," Matt nodded and placed a hand on the wall to steady himself as he stood, "You're going to have to explain how you know."

"I will, just not here." Diana replied as she picked up his cane, briefcase, and red tinted glasses, "Here." She took his free hand and placed the cane in his grip before a smirk lit her face and she set the glasses on his nose. "There. Almost as good as new." She kept the briefcase, and Matt didn't ask for it.

Matt nodded his thanks, "Keep talking. It helps me focus on the here and now rather than what's going on far away."

"Okay. We'll go up to my place. Is that okay?" She asked as she pressed the 'up' button.

"Yes."

"Alright." Diana hesitated for a moment, "Is there anything I can do to help with… this?"

He gave a small, tense smile, "No. I have to work through this on my own."

The elevator dinged, and Diana took his elbow so he wouldn't have to navigate and stepped inside, "I don't actually know how much you already know about me from what Foggy's said and from what you've overheard from my apartment."

"Bits and pieces." Matt replied, "I know your name, of course." Another tense smile, "You talk to yourself a lot, mentioning Steve and Bucky. And I think Steve was the one you brought here once."

"Yeah, I did. You know who he is?"

"Considering your conversation, I'm gonna guess he's Captain America, although I don't know how that's possible."

"His super soldier serum kept him alive in the ice." Diana explained, "I don't know how, but to him he lost his best friend a month or so ago and any chance at a romantic relationship with Agent Carter when he crashed that plane into the Arctic."

"You seemed to know him well."

The elevator dinged again and they stepped out into the hall leaving to her apartment. Diana took his elbow in an attempt to guide him again so he wouldn't have to heighten his senses. Although considering she had no clue how to actually do so and do it well, she probably wasn't helping that much.

"That's part of my really, really complicated story." She told him. Suddenly she realized she didn't have keys to her apartment. "Crap."

"What?" Matt questioned.

"I don't have my keys." She paused before bringing out her Sling Ring, "Want to s… experience how I sometimes get around?"

His dark eyebrows furrowed as he reached out with his free hand, "What's that? It looks… weird."

Diana looked down at the Sling Ring, contemplating, "Weird how?"

Matt paused as his fingers brushed over the metal, "I… see differently than other people." He admitted softly, "I don't have conventional sight, and I have to concentrate to actually see the only way I can, but that thing… it practically glows with golden flames."

Diana's gaze went from the Ring to Matt and back to the Ring before she slipped it on. A strange expression crossed his face and he frowned slightly. She had no idea what he was seeing, but magic might just give his red world on fire a bit of color, "I'm gonna get us in."

"What're you doing?" He asked as she prepared the portal.

"Don't worry. It's perfectly safe." He gave her a dubious look and she sighed, "Okay, when I used it to get back here, I landed outside the building instead of in my apartment. That's why I'll peek across first before we step through."

"How's this even possible?" He asked.

"Magic."

"Magic." His tone was disbelieving.

"Yup." She finished the portal, "Inspect it."

His blank gaze roved over the circular portal Diana had made as she stuck her head through, "Did it work?" Matt asked.

"Sure did." She stepped through and into her living room. Matt copied her movements and his face screwed up a bit.

"That's disorientating." He commented and rubbed at his ear again. Diana swept her hand horizontally to erase the portal, "The buzz is gone." Matt turned to where the portal had been, "And so are the golden flames."

"So, you just experienced magic. How do you feel?"

"It wasn't all that spectacular." Matt smirked a bit.

"Well, I am just a novice, so I'll find something to impress you eventually."

Matt used his cane to find his way to the couch before collapsing with an exhausted sigh. Then he looked in Diana's direction, "I believe I was promised a story."

"Yes, you were." She acquiesced, "Let me clean up a bit, and I can tell you." She paused, "How's your hearing?"

"It's getting better. There's not so… much of it now."

Diana closed her eyes and swallowed, "I did the best I could to save people."

"That's all anyone can do." Matt nodded in understanding, "Go. I'll be here when you get back because you owe me a story."

"Okay. I won't be long, and I'm pretty sure you'd be able to hear everything I do anyway."

"I try not to eavesdrop." He looked a little guilty.

"See that you don't this time." Diana sent him a playful smile as she went down her hallway to the bathroom to freshen up and change clothes.

*FMttM*

Diana told Matt everything. Everything about her past was laid bare in front of the one person in this time who wasn't Steve who would know for certain that she was telling the complete truth.

She told him about falling into the snow in France. She told him about becoming the SSR's off-the-books nurse whose existence was so secret that even the best intelligence agencies had no record of her name or what she looked like. She told him about meeting his grandfather, how the kid had been a HYDRA POW and had been experimented upon and given an offshoot of the super soldier serum. She told him about Bucky and how their relationship had just begun before he fell into the ravine. She told him about her plea with the sorcerers to put her in stasis. She told him about her training in Kamar Taj and New York.

Matt listened quietly, sometimes with a disbelieving expression, sometimes with compassion, other times with curiosity (especially when she talked about his grandfather and the serum), but he didn't interrupt until she'd confessed her entire story.

"That… is almost unbelievable." He told her after a moment of reflection.

"You believe me?!" Diana was completely surprised.

Matt gave a small smile, "There's too much detail in your story for it to just be something you believe to be true. My dad never spoke of his father much, so I never knew anything about him other than his name and that he was a World War II POW and Vet. That was from my own research, though. I think I asked my dad about my grandparents only once, and he only told me that they were dead; he never knew my mother's parents." He looked toward her, "So, yeah, I believe you. It makes my life, my abilities, make a little more sense."

There was a brief pause before the blind lawyer leaned forward with a change of subject, "Why did you even share this with me?" Matt asked, "I know you knew my grandfather, but I don't understand why you'd go beyond telling me that part of your past."

"Because you're important." She told him, "There's a war coming." Pause, "No, not really a war. More like several battles. Some of them are the fights Stick trained you for."

Matt was unsurprised that she knew about his old mentor, but he didn't look happy with this new information, "I may have trained with Stick when I was a kid, but that's not who I am anymore. I left that life when he sent me back to the orphanage."

Diana smiled wryly, "Do you think he would let you go that easy with your abilities? I bet he probably knows about the serum running through your veins."

"I'm not gonna fight for him." The young man's face darkened, "After what he did to me… no."

"I can understand that. From what I know of him, he's not the nicest or easiest person to get along with."

"If he could see me now, he'd be annoyed." Matt told her, leaning back against the couch, "I haven't kept up with my training as rigorously as he probably would've liked."

"Hmmm…" Diana hummed thoughtfully, "Well, I might just be able to solve that problem for you." She smiled, "I've pretty much mastered the hand-to-hand stuff that my current master teaches. I'd like to change it up a little, so… maybe you could teach me some moves?"

"I'm a bit rusty."

"The best way to get back into the swing of things is to teach someone what you already know," she encouraged, "and, eventually, you'd get a sparring partner out of the deal."

"I don't know…"

"I could throw Steve into the mix. I bet he needs a bit of a challenge, and the SHIELD agents just don't cut it. I'm pretty sure he's punched down at least four punching bags a day since he woke up two weeks ago."

"I'll think about it." Matt replied, "I'd have to figure out my schedule at Landman and Zack, and not hint at this to Foggy since he doesn't know about my abilities."

"I won't say a thing."

"I'll let you know what I decide," Matt pushed himself off the couch, "but I should head to my apartment." He paused as he breathed in, "It's getting dark."

"Not that that ever bothered you." She teased, standing with him.

He sent her a smile as he gathered his belongings, "It'll be nice to have someone to talk to about… this." He made a vague motion to his eyes and ears, "Thanks, by the way, for helping me get through that. I'd never experienced that much noise and pain in a really long time."

"No problem. My door is always open to you, Matt." Diana walked him to the door.

"I'll keep that in mind." He gave a nod, "I'll talk to you later."

*FMttM*

After her daily training at the Sanctum, Diana had told Master Drumm exactly what had happened during the Battle of New York. She was fairly sure that all the other sorcerers had not bothered to fight against the Chitauri since they believed that it had nothing to do with the supernatural. However, considering how the Necklace containing the Eye of Agamotto was the Time Stone, and Loki had used both the Space and the Mind Stones (Tesseract and Staff respectively) during the battle, there was no way Diana was going to allow the sorcerers to just ignore what was going on.

Diana was just about to leave the Sanctum when she saw a motorcycle pull up. She stopped and smiled as Steve idled his ride and dismounted, "Diana, you got a moment?" He asked.

"Sure. What's up? Nice motorcycle by the way."

The Captain smiled, "Thanks. It reminds me of some of the motorcycles I rode during the War." Before he became serious again, "Thor and Loki are leaving today, and Thor wanted to speak with you before he left."

Diana crossed her arms, "About what?"

"He didn't say, but he called you a 'seidkona' again, and that got Loki's attention. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but they both obviously know what you can do."

She sighed, "I wanted to stay away from all the government agency stuff, Steve. I don't trust a lot of them."

"Only Natasha and Clint will be there from SHIELD," Steve told her, "and Doctor Banner and Stark, of course."

Diana combed her fingers through her blonde hair, "Alright, I'll go."

The two of them mounted the motorcycle, "Hang on." Steve told her, and she wrapped her arms around his middle as he revved the bike and returned to the New York traffic.

*FMttM*

The meeting location was extremely public. Diana was glad she hadn't already changed into her robes before she joined Steve to reveal her civilian self to the other Avengers (and Loki because he would be there and she would put him in his place).

Steve stopped his motorcycle at the curb and allowed Diana to dismount first before getting off himself.

"So, I see you've brought our mysterious Shieldmaiden," Stark called from not too far away. He held a metal briefcase in one hand.

Diana glanced at Steve, "Is that what the public's calling me? Shieldmaiden?"

The Captain half smiled, half grimaced, "Yeah. Sorry Diana. It just… happened."

"It's okay. It was bound to happen eventually. It could be way worse."

Thor and Loki turned to face the rest of the Avengers and the former smiled at Diana, "Seidkona!" The thunderer exclaimed, "I unaware that Midgard had wizards! I thank you for what you did during the battle."

"It's no problem, Prince Thor." She smiled at the thunder god. She then turned to Loki with a glare, "And you, Loki, of Asgard and the Jotunheim," the god of mischief's eyes narrowed, but he could not speak due to the metal muzzle over his mouth, "if the ones who sent you here choose to attack this world again, tell them this: It. Is. Defended. We will avenge our fallen. We will guard our planet to our last breaths." She paused to watch Loki's reaction, "You'll have time to decide where your loyalties truly lie, god of mischief. I hope you choose the right path." She returned to Steve's side and crossed her arms. Loki continued to glare at her with narrow icy blue eyes, although there was contemplation behind that ice.

She and Steve watched Stark take the Tesseract out of the briefcase. It was the object that had caused the Captain the most grief since 1944, and he hated the thing. Diana linked her arm in his, "That thing took too much from you, from us. It's too bad it couldn't just be destroyed."

Steve nodded and took a step forward to watch as the object of his hatred was handed over to the Asgardians.

Thor looked at the Avengers, "Farewell my friends, seidkona. I hope we meet again soon and under better circumstances." He looked over at his dark-haired brother, who only glared at him before they both gripped and turned the handles on the Tesseract's container. The two Asgardians vanished in a lightning blue light.

"Well," Stark clapped his hands together moments later, "that was exciting, but I'm more interested in Eowyn over here." He approached with his hand out, "Tony Stark, Ironman, but you probably already knew that." He grinned.

Diana tilted her head to the side, "You're taller than I expected." She reached out and shook Stark's hand, "That was a brave thing you did, Mr. Stark. You saved the city from nuclear annihilation."

"Ahhh, it was nothing I couldn't handle." Stark released her hand and stuffed both of his into his pockets, "But where did you come from? I watched footage of the battle and saw some really magnificent golden shields. Where are they? What're they made of? How are they transparent? How can they block both physical and energy attacks?"

"I come from Earth," she told Stark, "My shields are called Tao Mandalas, and the rest is none of your business until you gain my full trust."

"Aww, come on!" The billionaire pouted.

"Patience is a virtue, Mr. Stark."

"Cap, tell her to give me something! You two seem to be buddy-buddy, though I don't know how or why, considering… wait… are you -?"

"Anthony Edward Stark, if you ask Steve if he and I are dating or anything else like that, I'm gonna smack you so hard you'll look like Charlie Chaplin!"

Stark stared, gobsmacked, "How do you -... only Pepper's ever called me by my full name and usually when she's mad at me."

"Then shut up, Stark."

Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, stood in the background with a hand covering his mouth and his shoulders shaking. Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, simply looked mildly amused by the exchange. Doctor Banner looked quietly bemused at the whole situation.

"Okay, so," Stark began again, "you've gotta tell me something. Anything!"

"My name's Diana Larson. I know Steve from the War." She gave the billionaire a sly smirk, "You'll have to figure out how I got here, and it wasn't with a TARDIS, Delorean, or Phone Booth."

"She knows more pop culture that you, Cap!" Stark teased Steve, "I like her already - a mysterious time-travelling woman." The billionaire grabbed his briefcase, "Well, I've got some research to do. Come on, Doc. Let's head back to the Tower."

Doctor Banner gave Diana a small smile, "Sorry about him. He's…"

"Like a dog with a bone." She finished.

The scientist laughed softly, "That's a great way to describe him." He held out his hand, "Doctor Bruce Banner."

She shook his hand, "Diana Larson. It's really nice to meet you."

"Most people don't say that anymore."

"Well, the Other Guy, the Hulk, and I bonded over a puny god joke, so I think we're on good terms."

"Oh… okay." Banner glanced toward Stark, who had tossed the briefcase into his fancy convertible, "Sorry to cut this meeting short, but if I don't go now, he'll come back and bombard you with more questions."

"It's fine. I'll probably be around."

Banner waved and strode toward Stark and his fancy car. Clint approached next and practically grabbed her hand and shook it vigorously, "Clint Barton. I'm so glad someone put that bastard in his place. I just wish I could've landed a few punches. And to top it all off, you got Stark to stop talking for a second! You are officially the most awesome person here," he glanced at Natasha, "barring Tasha of course."

"Someone has to do it." Diana replied once Clint let go of her hand, "We've gotta show a bit of girl power in this sausage fest, right Ms. Romanoff?"

The redhead's lips curved into a smile, "Of course. Where would these Neanderthals be if not for us?"

"Hey, do you think you could come back to SHIELD Headquarters?" Clint asked, "The Director's very interested in meeting you."

"Director Fury will need to 'meet' with me elsewhere. I don't trust all of the Agents in SHIELD."

Natasha's eyes narrowed, "Why?"

"If you dig enough, you'll find a bit of a virus that's been growing since World War II." She hinted, "So, Fury will have to find me because I refuse to go to him unless it's completely in private and only with agents I know I can trust."

The Black Widow nodded, "I understand and admire your caution. We'll relay your message to the Director." She took Clint's arm and began to lead him away from the scene. Soon they disappeared into the crowd.

Steve then turned to Diana, "So, want to see the apartment SHIELD got me? Although It's only temporary, it's better than staying in the barracks with the other agents. You can portal directly there after you've seen it, right? "

"Sure. Let's go. You've probably got way better technology stuff than I do since, you know, SHIELD will actually pay you."

They returned to the motorcycle and drove off toward Steve's humble abode.

*FMttM*

Diana gaped at Steve's apartment before turning toward him, "Dude, you have more stuff in here than I do at my place!" She looked at the piles of books - history mostly and some fiction.

"I kind of went all out at the library." The Captain looked sheepish, "As soon as I got back, I went and got books to get all caught up on history. I didn't even get to start reading before Loki attacked."

"Okay, Steve, there's just WAY too much here!" The blonde woman told her friend, "You're gonna get really overwhelmed."

"Well, what do you think I should do?"

"Do you have a tablet or laptop?"

"Ummm…" His clueless look answered her question, partially. Either he didn't know what a laptop or tablet looked like or he didn't have either of them.

Diana sighed, "Okay. You have a nice flat screen." She approached and took up the remote, "May I?"

"Knock yourself out. There's so many buttons on that thing that I don't want to break it by pushing something wrong."

She smiled, "Get out a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. I'm gonna give you directions on how to turn on your TV and look for shows you want to watch."

"Okay." Steve got a notebook and wrote 'Directions for Television' at the top. Diana proceeded to show him, to the best of her ability, how to use his TV and his cable hook-up.

Once Steve could do the entire process by himself - it took about an hour of explaining and then a bit of trial and error for him to get it right - Diana turned the channel to the History Channel, "This will give you some good programs about history after you got frozen. They give much more reliable information plus some insight from today about the events. It's pretty good at highlighting the important stuff."

"Thanks. This'll be helpful." Steve watched as the documentary showed footage of JFK waving from his Lincoln Convertible the day he was shot.

"I can set it up to record shows that happened near the end of the war - late '40s, '50s, and '60s."

"That'd be great."

"I'll show you how to do that so you can do it yourself if you see something in the Guide you want to record."

This lesson took about another hour because they continuously got distracted by the historical footage showing on the various channels, PBS and some others.

Their next task was to sort through the books Steve had gotten from the library. Diana put then in event date order as best as she knew - sometimes searching quickly through the pages for a rough date.

"Stark referenced a few things during the attack, or at least they sounded like references." Steve told her, "What's Galaga?"

Diana smiled, "It's a video game from the '80s. Where -"

"Video game?"

She paused, trying to think of a way to explain what a video game was to someone who'd never heard or seen them before, "It's an interactive movie where you can control the main character or characters. There are sometimes NPCs, or Non-Playable Characters, that you can talk to, enemies, and rewards. These games can be puzzle, strategy, time management, and so much more. It's basically taken the place of board games like Monopoly and Checkers."

"That's too bad."

"Well, board games aren't entirely gone. You have strategy games like Risk - a take-over-the-world strategy game - and card games like Munchkin - which is a fantasy monster fighting card game, by the way." Diana gave a small laugh, "People have even made very dirty-minded games for drunken parties like Cards Against Humanity."

"Okay, so… back to what we were talking about, Galaga - a video game about…?"

"In Galaga you're playing, like, a pilot of some sort and you have to shoot aliens that are coming at you from the top of the screen."

Steve blinked, "Okay, that sounds… weird."

She looked around Steve's apartment again and saw his kitchen, "You have a dishwasher! I'm so jealous!"

"If only I knew how to run it." The Captain lamented.

Diana laughed, "Well, that's pretty easy." She then showed him how to work the dishwasher.

For the rest of the day, Diana taught Steve how to use the stuff in his apartment with the History Channel playing in the background.

*FMttM*

It had been a long day, actually a long two weeks. Diana had gone to work, waitressing for her shift before going to the Sanctum to spar with Master Daniel with both hand-to-hand and magical combat. She'd gone home and taken a nice, long, relaxing bath at the end of the day. With her hair wrapped in a towel, she had just finished changing into her pyjamas for the night, there was a knock at her door.

"Who the hell…?" She trailed off and threw on a robe. When she got to the door, she peeked out the peephole and saw the last person she ever thought would come to Hell's Kitchen. Diana ripped off her head towel and threw it with all her might toward the bathroom. It landed on the back of the couch with a 'slop' sound. She sighed and quickly ran her fingers through her wet hair.

"Look, I know you're in there. Can you at least open the door? This is getting awkward." Tony Stark complained from the other side of the door.

Diana rolled her eyes and opened the door, "Mr. Stark, what a pleasant surprise. Impeccable timing too."

His eyebrow went up over his sunglasses, "Yeah, well, you're gone all the time, and you're damn hard to get a hold of! Don't you have a cell phone?" He continued after a short breath, "That doesn't matter. Pepper told me it probably wasn't appropriate to track you down at work, and whatever that building is on Bleecker Street, they won't let me in." Stark ended on a mild whine.

"And?"

The billionaire took off his sunglasses and his dark eyes were intense, "You're an unknown element in our group. You tend to know things that you haven't been told. You're buddies with the Capsicle, but he won't say how you survived for seventy years looking like you haven't aged a day. Care to explain that?"

Diana pursed her lips, "I don't know if I can trust you."

Stark shifted persona, and gave her a charming grin, "Of course you can trust me. Why wouldn't you?"

"Thaddeus Ross." She replied.

The grin vanished, "How do you know about that? And why is he a reason not to trust me?"

She gave Stark a side glance, wondering if he actually knew what Ross had tried to do to Bruce, "Like you said, I know things I haven't been told."

"So you're psychic."

Diana guffawed as she picked up her towel from the couch, "Oh god no! psychic and mind reading… that's for the metahumans and the X-Men."

"Then how do you know these things?"

Seconds passed as Diana considered what to tell Stark. He'd probably know if she was lying because he was just as smart, if not smarter, than his father. She fiddled with her hair towel in her hands, and Stark crossed his arms over his suit and waited.

"This does not leave my apartment, understand? Steve's the only one who knows - scratch that, Steve and Peggy Carter are the only ones who know about my origins." She decided to leave Matt Murdock out of that list for now, "It was so highly classified during the War in the SSR that my name was erased from all paperwork. It's why not even SHIELD knows about me, and I'd like to keep it that way for now." Tony's dark gaze intensified and burned, fascinated as Diana took a deep breath, "Not a word of this gets to Ross. Where I come from, he's considered a villain for what he tried to do to Doctor Banner."

"My lips are sealed unless you turn out to be a villain yourself."

"Considering the two people I trust most are practically boy scouts, I don't think you have to worry about that." Diana replied with a small smile.

"Alright, go on."

Diana plopped down on the couch in defeat and told Tony Stark the bare bones of her origins - coming from another universe, vagueness about her job during the War, finding a way to be put in stasis, and waking up in this time. She didn't include details about her time with the SSR, deeming the information unnecessary. Stark would have figured it out eventually, like his father had, so it was probably better this way.

"You're from another universe."

"Yup."

"Not another planet like Thor, but another universe."

"Another Earth."

"How?"

"I have no idea how I got here, and I'm no Stephen Hawking." Diana replied, "but my favorite fictional multiverse explanation is that there are infinite Earths, like one where the Nazis won World War II, there's one where JFK was never assassinated, one where you're Sherlock Holmes in the Victorian Era. The list goes on," she paused. "Anyway, according to this theory, each Earth occupies the same space and time - although the timelines may differ by going slower or faster than ours - and they vibrate at a different frequency so they can't see each other."

"And in that explanation, how do people get from one Earth to another?"

"Well, you'd have to find someone or something that could run faster than the speed of light, or find someone or something that can open interdimensional portals." She decided that details about the Flash and Vibe were unnecessary to an already complicated explanation.

"But you don't have super speed," Stark paused and looked at her curiously, "do you?"

"No, I don't, and I can't open _interdimensional_ portals either."

"Well, I had to ask. I don't actually know what powers you have."

"That's a secret for another time. I'd have to get permission first."

"Permission? From Whom?"

Give him crumbs, "The Ancient One."

"Oh yeah, that makes sense. Thanks for vague-ing that up for me," Stark said sarcastically.

Diana shrugged, "Well, that's all you're getting right now."

"How about what you can do?"

"You saw the shields," the blonde woman replied.

"I know, I'm the one who gave the press your superhero name."

Sigh. "Thanks for that, by the way." She actually liked the name just a little bit.

"Everyone needs a code name, especially if you're gonna be one of us."

"Right."

"Anything else other than those shields? What are they, by the way? You never answered my question. They can block physical blows and energy. How's that possible?"

"The shields, as I told you before, are Tao Mandalas. They're made of a special energy that I don't actually remember the name of right now. I was taught how to make them, not what they were made of or how they work." She replied, not really wanting to tell him about the Sling Ring, and her other magical skills, "I'm good with hand-to-hand combat, but other than that, not much right now. I'm only a novice."

"A novice what?"

Diana sighed again with more annoyance, "A novice superhero."

Stark rubbed the bridge of his nose, "It's like pulling teeth, and I hate the dentist."

"Don't most people? Look, Stark, you're gonna have to earn my trust. I'd rather you just cut ties with Thaddeus Ross, but that might cause more problems down the road."

The billionaire sulked a little, before perking up, "Right, phone. Don't you have a cell? You seem to be much more technology savvy than the Capsicle."

"Superheroing doesn't pay very well. Outside of that, I'm a waitress." Diana informed him, "Considering I've only been in this time for, like, a year, and I didn't have real identification until a bit after that, I haven't had the time or money to get a cell phone."

"And yet you have this apartment."

"This was actually a Christmas gift. I just moved in last December."

"Hm. You got cable?"

"No."

"Internet?"

"I don't even own a laptop yet."

"How do you live?!" Stark exclaimed, "Okay, I'm gonna give you some stuff from my company - phone, laptop. I'll even pay for the cable, phone, and internet services."

"You don't have to do that. Throwing money at stuff in an attempt to help me won't get me to trust you."

The billionaire looked flummoxed, "Well, what else am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know."

"You're no help."

"Nope."

"Well, I'll still get you all that stuff. You're an Avenger now, part of the team. We'll need to be able to contact you if something goes sideways. And hey, I even gave you a floor in the Tower once it's rebuilt."

"You… did? Even though you knew next to nothing about me?" Diana was a bit surprised.

Stark arched an eyebrow at her, "What, you think you're not important enough to get a floor in the Tower?"

"I… didn't expect that from you."

"Well, you got it and more," he stood, "and now I know what I need to do to help you." He put on his sunglasses and took a few steps toward the door, "Are you helping Cap get into the 21st Century?"

"I've explained a few things to him, but he's only been here for about a month, and I've only seen him a few days since the attack."

"Hmmm… Okay." Stark nodded. He took a few more steps toward the door before pausing again, "How will I get a hold of you so I can give you your phone, computer, and cable?"

"Steve can get in touch with me and tell me when you want to meet." Diana told him, "I've started working mornings, so…"

"Got it." The billionaire nodded, "I'll be in touch."

He left her apartment and Diana finally felt like she could relax again. She put her face in her hands and groaned, "Matt, my life is spiraling even further out of control. I keep getting involved and digging myself deeper." The blonde leaned back her head on the couch, "Well, it could be worse. He could've simply handed me over to Fury or Ross." She sighed, "Maybe I can help change things for the better, make things less… horrible for my friends."

She had no idea if Matt was actually home or not, but if he was, he'd probably heard her. If not, well, just pretending he was home made her feel a little better about talking to herself.

*FMttM*

Over the next few weeks, Diana opted to hang out at Steve's apartment, watching documentaries and helping out around his place. She taught him how to cook some foods, like pasta, on a modern stove, and even introduce him to the wonders of ramen and the microwave. Still, they almost always ordered in because Steve, while able to make things from a recipe book, needed a lot more food than he could fit in his current cupboards and fridge… otherwise he'd be (or SHIELD agents would be) grocery shopping on a daily basis.

Steve told her about the videos he'd made for students of all ages to encourage them to do well in school, be fit, avoid detention, and even one about virtues like patience… where he had lost his patience and gotten annoyed with the people making the short film speeches. Diana had just found it hilarious.

As Steve became more familiar with actual history, Diana began to dip into popular culture so he could say, "I understood that reference!" more often. She decided to start with Disney movies because he actually saw _Snow White_ before the War and could see the gradual improvements in the Disney canon.

Diana was on her way to Steve's and about to make a portal to his apartment when there was a knock on her door. She frowned, slipped her Sling Ring back into her pocket, and set the Disney DVDs on an end table. She peeked into the peephole and her heart nearly stopped. Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD, was making a house call.

The blonde swallowed and steeled herself for a bit of grilling rather than binge watching some old Disney movies with Steve. Diana opened the door, "Director Fury. It's nice to finally meet you."

"You've made my job quite difficult, Miss Larson." He scowled at her as he pushed into her apartment and took a seat on her couch, "I don't usually make house calls to just anyone, but you… You've been a bit of a thorn in my side since the attack on New York."

"Well, I don't trust SHIELD." Diana told him as she sat across from him in the arm chair. Then she tilted her head, "How far will this go, Director Fury? Who's listening to this conversation."

"There's no one listening. I came alone."

She laughed, "I'm not an idiot, Director. You wouldn't come in here, against an unknown, without being armed and without backup." She leaned forward, "So, who's listening in? Widow? Hawkeye? Hill?" Her eyes narrowed, "Coulson?"

Fury raised his chin calmly, "Agent Coulson was killed during the attack on New York."

"Mmmhmm… And Tahiti is a magical place."

That got Fury's attention as his shoulders tensed, "And that is why you're a dangerous person. You know things you shouldn't. I would like to know the how."

"If you tell me who's listening, I may or may not be able to answer your question depending on your answer."

Fury's lips thinned, "I see." After a moment of staring her down, he put a finger to his ear and took out a tiny bud. He looked up at her then as he set it on the coffee table between them, "If it's not in my ear, they can't hear us."

Diana paused to stare at the bud before nodding. Fury was one of the good guys, and even though his secrets had secrets, he could be trusted to do the right thing, "Okay, this might take a bit."

The Director folded his hands and leaned his elbows on his thighs, "It's always best to start at the beginning."

And so, she told her story again. This version was a little more detailed than the one she'd given Stark, but Fury was at the same level as Colonel Phillips. He wouldn't go around telling her secrets to the next person he saw. He may brief the people whose names she'd mentioned, but that would be the extent of it.

At the end of her story, Fury was frowning, "If you had told me this a year ago, I would've had you locked up in the crazy house. But after the attack on New York - aliens, demigods, portals… It's not that far fetched to reach for alternate universes."

"Yeah, that's actually similar to what Colonel Phillips said when I arrived here."

"That only answers the questions I had about how you know the things you do." Fury looked a bit smug, "Now it's time to tell me how you DO the things you do. The shields, the teleportation."

Diana's eyebrows went up, "You know more than I thought you did."

"It's my job to know what may threaten this country and this planet."

"Well, I learned to do magic."

"Magic." Fury looked a bit disbelieving and even more mistrustful, "I thought that kind of power was reserved for people like Loki."

"Loki decided to misuse what his mother taught him, and it's cost him a great deal." Diana told Fury, "The magic I learned is used to protect and heal. That's why I choose to wield shields and use only my fists to attack. I'm still a novice, and I have a lot to learn when it comes to magic."

"Then there are others like you."

"Magic can be learned by anyone who can open their mind to the possibility of Infinity and Eternity."

"You're gonna have to prove yourself to us."

"New York wasn't enough?"

"It's certainly a point in your favor, along with the fact that you haven't done anything since then."

"I've been helping Steve adjust to the 21st Century - something you haven't even bothered to think about." Diana admonished.

"We don't have the resources to be at Captain Rogers' beck and call when he has questions."

"And that's why I'm helping him. From his point of view, a couple months ago he lost his best friend, watched him fall into a ravine from a train. Then he lost his chance to take the girl he liked out dancing, a real first date that wasn't set up by Bucky." Diana paused, "Steve, not Captain Rogers, has lost almost everything that made his life worth living. All he's got are bad memories, sad memories, and me. And I'm gonna make DAMN sure he knows he's important and that people care about him as a person and not just as a soldier."

Fury straightened his shoulders, "I understand, but YOU must understand that we keep a tight watch on our assets."

"Don't call us that!" Diana snapped. She hated being called a 'thing'; she hated it when anyone referred to someone like they were a 'thing'. It just reminded her that Bucky, the Winter Soldier, was out there somewhere being treated as a 'thing' and it made her blood boil because she couldn't find him. So she glared at the Director of SHIELD who had no idea that HYDRA was festering in his own organization as she continued, "We are human beings, not pawns you can push around a chess board, not weapons you can point and fire! That's something HYDRA would do! I know that the SSR took in that HYDRA scientist Zola who did human experimentations… Who knows what ideas that wack-job put into the heads of his subordinates. Who knows if SHIELD itself is compromised because of the SSR's lack of foresight."

The Director's eyebrows furrowed and his mouth became a hard line, "Explain yourself. Now."

"There are people who will die for their cause. You don't need to worry about them, they'll just die and not cause trouble anymore. It's those who are willing to beg and plead for their lives and yet not renounce their cause that you have to watch with eagle eyes. Zola was one of those. I can't remember if I warned the Colonel about him, but if Zola became a part of the SSR, then HYDRA or at the very least its ideals, have been festering within your own organization for years."

She watched as Fury's jaw worked, "How do I know you're telling me the truth and not just causing trouble?"

"What's my motive, Director? What could I possibly have to gain from telling you a lie as serious as this?"

"It could be that you want me to trust you without proof. It could be that you just want to cause trouble for the sake of it. It could be that you have an agenda so entirely out of my understanding that you would play with my mind as Loki did with Agent Barton."

"It's better to be safe than sorry." Diana told him.

Fury looked thoughtful, "If what you're saying is true, I can't trust anyone," realization hit him, "and that's why you didn't want to meet at the helicarrier or at one of the bases."

"Exactly," Diana nodded, "but there are people you can trust - Agents Romanoff, Barton, Hill, Coulson, May, Fitz, and Simmons, any of the other Avengers."

"You?"

"I'd like that, but like you said, I haven't gained even a little bit of trust from you."

"If you're lying to me, there's no place on this planet you'll be able to hide." Fury warned, "I will hunt you down and -"

"You will lay your vengeance upon me." Diana partially quoted from _Pulp Fiction_ , "I know. Where I come from, you are one B.A.M.F."

"And I am here too." The Director stood, his long black leather coat swishing a little, "We'll be watching you, Miss Larson, your home, your work, that building on Bleecker Street. Anywhere you go, we will know until you've gained our trust."

"I understand." Diana stood as well. A thought struck her. She might have to move before Matt started going out as Daredevil. If SHIELD found out about him and his abilities, he wouldn't be safe to do what he does best: micromanaging the ten blocks of Hell's Kitchen, beating up the criminals and dirty cops and taking down the Kingpin and discovering the plans the Hand had for New York.

"You have a good day, Miss Larson. We'll be in touch." He picked up his ear bud and put it back in his ear.

Once the Director had left, Diana breathed a sigh of relief. That had been a tense meeting. She was, however, glad that it was over with and that Fury had a warning about HYDRA. Maybe he could put a stop to their doings before they sent the Winter Soldier to kill him.

She took her Sling Ring out of her pocket again, grabbed the Disney DVDs, and created the portal to Steve's apartment.

*FMttM*

It was getting closer to August, closer to her birthday. Diana had completely forgotten to even celebrate in the past year. Kamar Taj and the Sanctum tended to skew a person's perception of time, and although she'd spent an entire year with the SSR, she'd never mentioned when her birthday was to anyone; the war and getting rid of HYDRA had been much more important. She also hadn't been with the SSR when her birthday had come around, so she'd seen no point in celebrating. By her calculations, though, and not counting her time in stasis, she would be twenty-four.

In the evenings after work and training, she'd started hanging out with Foggy and Matt at Josie's Bar in Hell's Kitchen. They (Diana and Foggy since Matt 'couldn't see') would play pool and have a few drinks to relax after a hard day's work.

They were sitting at the counter when Matt spoke just after Foggy had gone to the restroom, "Something's up with you, Di. What's going on?"

"It's nothing. I'm fine." She tried to wave it off as she took a sip of her beer.

The lawyer pursed his lips, "Lie. I know something's bothering you, or at least you've been thinking about something really hard. It changes your heart rate and respiration slightly, and your blood pressure goes up just a little. What. Is. Wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong per se." She told him and he tilted his head to the left, an indication that he was listening very, very carefully. Diana sighed, "Curse your senses, Murdock. My birthday's coming up. I haven't celebrated it since before I got here… I mean, with the War and then my training, there really wasn't time or anyone to celebrate it with."

Matt's eyebrows went up, "Why didn't you say anything?"

She shrugged, "It's just a birthday."

Foggy had gotten close enough in his return from the restroom to hear her comment, "What's this about a birthday?"

"Diana's birthday's coming up, and she wasn't gonna tell us." Matt spilled the beans.

"Matt!" She complained.

Foggy's expression was exaggeratedly shocked and he put a hand over his heart, "You're gonna have a birthday and you weren't gonna tell us? We'd be terrible friends if we didn't do something to celebrate."

Diana put her face in her hands, "Why do I put up with this?"

"Because you love me." Foggy replied, "Oh, and Matt's here too. Why weren't you gonna say anything, Di?"

"My birthday's not that important. I haven't celebrated for the past two years -"

"All the more reason to have a party! Right Matt?" The blonde lawyer looked to his best friend for confirmation and support with his point.

"Exactly what I was trying to tell her."

"Okay, I know exactly what we're gonna do." Foggy had his planning expression on, "We're gonna celebrate here at Josie's Bar. It'll be me and Matt… Anyone else you want to invite?"

Diana hesitated, glancing toward Matt, "Well, my friend Steve would be mad at me if I didn't invite him, especially since I've known him the longest."

"What about your gal pals?" Foggy asked, "I bet they'd love to meet some handsome guys like us."

"Uhmm… Well, there's Natasha, but she's kind of a kill-you-with-her-pinky kind of girl. And Peggy's currently in the hospital, so she wouldn't be able to make it, obviously," Diana trailed off as she wracked her mind for women she knew about in the MCU that were actually around at that point in the timeline, "That's about it. I don't really have that many friends. I've never been a big social butterfly."

"Sorry about your friend Peggy. I hope she gets better, but you could invite this Natasha chick." Foggy told Diana, "She sounds hot."

"I don't think you could handle her. She's a bit… spidery."

"All the more reason to meet her! I mean, why not!? She actually sounds right up Matt's alley!"

The blonde woman gave a long-suffering sigh, which caused Matt to smirk. Finally, Diana replied, "Alright, I'll ask her, but don't expect her to actually come." She also prayed that Tony and the rest of the gang of Avengers wouldn't tag along. It could be dangerous for Matt and his secrets.

"Awesome! I'll tell Josie… wait, hey, when is your actual birthday?"

"August 8th."

"Okay, we'll plan for a party night here. Too bad it's a Wednesday, though. It's too late to ask for the next day off." Foggy pouted and headed toward the main bar where Josie herself was tending to her patrons.

"I hope you don't mind a party." Matt told her.

"It's not the party I'm worried about. I'm afraid that the Avengers or SHIELD will crash it, or something horrible will happen."

"We can take all that in stride. Don't worry."

"I just don't want to compromise the knowledge of… you know."

Matt waved off her worries, "If I can keep that secret from the person who knows me best, I think I can keep it from the Avengers and SHIELD."

"They'll watch you if they know you're my friend."

He gave an innocent look, "I'm just a blind junior lawyer at Landman and Zack. I'm a good Catholic boy."

Diana chuckled, "You'll get along with Steve really well."

Matt looked a bit perturbed, "I really hope I don't get starstruck. It'd be really embarrassing if I started acting like some kind of fanboy."

"Steve's a person just like all of us. Although I'll admit to fangirling about his other self in my universe."

The rest of the night was taken up with a couple more beers and party planning. Josie had accepted the reservation for the largest table at the bar for the celebration.

*FMttM*

On the morning of her birthday, Diana headed to the Sanctum like normal as she had the afternoon shift at the cafe where she worked. As she prepared for her sparring session with Master Daniel, he informed her that they would be going on a field trip.

Master Daniel had led her to the portal room which connected the four Sanctums - New York, London, Hong Kong, and Kamar Taj. He turned to her, "Before we go, I have an admission to make. Take out your Sling Ring." Diana followed his instruction, "Because you have mastered portal travel, you can take it to the next level. In training, we only allow novice students to go to locations where they have been. However, this is not how the Sling Ring works in reality." Master Daniel gave her a smile, "The training wheels are off, my apprentice. You can now go where you please with your Sling Ring. It is, of course easier to go someplace you've already been, but you will also be able to make portals to places you have not been, like Mount Everest or Antarctica."

Diana stared at her Master for a moment before looking down at the Sling Ring, "I wondered about that. I was sure the Sling Rings could take you anywhere, but I thought I'd defer to your better judgement." She slipped the ring back into her pocket.

"And now you have your freedom to go where you please." Master Daniel replied with pride, "That is not all. I heard that it's your birthday today."

"Who told you that?"

"The Ancient One sees much. She knew you wouldn't tell me and so informed me herself." He told Diana, "So, I'm going to take you to find your relic. I know it's not here. None of the relics in the Sanctum have drawn you in. So, we'll have to travel to London and Hong Kong to explore the relics there."

"What if there are no relics that accept me?" Diana was a bit worried.

"I know there is; I can feel it." He turned towards the portals, "How do you feel about London first? It's only five hours ahead of us, so it would be around midday there."

"Okay. Allons-y!"

Master Daniel chuckled as he turned the dial for the London Sanctum, "An appropriate word reference."

They stepped through to the London Sanctum, which was in an old Elizabethan building which had been remodelled after the even older buildings had caught fire around it and burned during the London Fire of 1666 and then remodelled again during the Victorian and post-WWII eras. Diana wished she could show this to Steve. The architecture was more magnificent than the New York Sanctum, and Steve had been awed by that.

"Come." Master Daniel motioned to her, "The relics are on the third floor."

The third floor of the London Sanctum was like a museum. Artifacts or relics were displayed in glass cases for all to view and, perhaps, claim. In one display case was a black bladed sword, in another nearby a lightly glowing iridescent sword. In another small display case nearby was a deck of tarot cards. There were many others, but Diana didn't feel drawn to any of them.

After a couple hours of browsing through the relics, Master Daniel approached her, "Have you found anything?"

"No. I haven't." Diana was extremely disappointed.

"Well, we have the Hong Kong Sanctum to visit. It's almost night there, but I don't believe that will be a problem. Come." Master Daniel led her back to the portal room. He turned the dial and they stepped through the portal to the Hong Kong Sanctum.

"Master Drumm, Apprentice Larson, welcome." A Japanese woman in robes said to them with a bow.

"Master Minoru," Master Daniel bowed back and Diana followed suit, "we are here to view your relics. Apprentice Larson was born today."

"Happy birthday, Apprentice Larson. I hope you find your relic." Master Tina Minoru smiled at her, "The relics are in the catacombs. Let me know if I can help." She turned, her robes swirling and vanished down a hallway.

Down in the catacombs, the setup was similar what they had found in the London Sanctum. A sash lay folded in one of the display cases. There was an axe mounted on a wall. Laying in another display case was a wand a horned skull on the end. Another display case held a glittering tessen fan. Still another held an ornate sword. Then she stopped at a display case which had two bracelets nestled in violet velvet.

She touched the glass, and the bracelets seemed to move, and they definitely glowed a bit, "Master Daniel!" She called her teacher to her. He was at her side in moments, "I think I found my relic."

"Ah, the Bracelets of Liǔ Xīng." He opened the display case and handled the bracelets delicately, "Well, now I know more about how I need to train you in hand-to-hand."

Diana stared at the bracelets. They were silvery-blue with aqua gemstones that seemed to float between the silver edges. There was an etching that looked like a tiny willow tree branches along the silver bracelets. She glanced up at her teacher, "What do they do?"

"They are quite interesting. Prior to activation, they take the strength of someone else, usually the last person whose skin you've touched, and add it to your own. Very useful in a fight." He held out one of the bracelets.

Diana raised her arms and Master Daniel slipped each bracelet on. A wash of welcoming came over her and she closed her eyes, "They're mine." She winced as she felt a pinching sensation, "Or maybe I'm theirs." The welcoming feeling returned. "That's different. Are all relics semi-sentient?"

"The Mystic Arts does tend to imbue relics with a little personality." Master Daniel replied knowingly. "Flick your wrists."

Diana did so and the bracelets extended over her sleeves to form silver bracers, "Wha-? Cool!" The gems on each bracer, which had grown in size, glowed a little with fancy leaves emerging from them. She examined the bracers for a few moments, seeing how they felt on her arms.

"Flick your wrists again." Master Daniel instructed, and she did so. The bracers turned back to normal bracelets. Her teacher grinned. "Congratulations, you have officially moved up to Journeyman, or I should say Journeywoman."

Diana bowed, "Thank you so much for bringing me here to find my relic. This is the best birthday gift I have gotten here."

"You're most welcome. We do need to head back to New York so you don't miss your party."

Her eyebrows went up, "How do you know about that?"

Master Daniel smiled mysteriously, "I do get around, even if you don't see me."

*FMttM*

Diana walked into Josie's Bar bracing herself for the disaster of the party that Foggy had set up. She had told Steve about the party and reluctantly told him to invite the rest of the Avengers just to see who would show up. When she walked into the bar, she knew the host was already there. Matt sat on a barstool with his back against the counter.

"Hey Diana." He greeted with a smile in her direction. Then he tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, "You already got a present?"

She smiled and raised her wrists so the Bracelets of Liǔ Xīng swirled a little, "It'll make things interesting once I get use to them."

Just then, Foggy strolled in from the back and stopped in his tracks when he saw her, "Diana! You're early."

"Hello boys." She glanced between Foggy and Matt with a smile.

"I had hoped to have everything done before you got here." The blonde lawyer replied quickly and strode toward her to sling an arm around her shoulders. He then saw the bracelets on her wrists, "That's some bling you're carrying." He pouted, "I hope you haven't found that special someone to give you nice, expensive gifts because I don't know how I'm gonna keep up if that's the case."

"My teacher gave these to me." She told Foggy.

"Teacher?"

"Yeah. I've told you about my martial arts lessons, right?"

"Oh yeah, that place on Bleecker Street! Man, your teacher must be loaded." He lifted one of her hands to examine the bracelet, "These look really expensive."

Diana laughed a little, "Pretty sure it's painted steel at the most."

Foggy dropped her hand, "Come on over to the bar. All drinks are on the house for the birthday girl tonight - Josie's orders." He led Diana over to the counter and sat her next to Matt.

"How's it going?" She addressed the blind lawyer.

He shrugged as Foggy sat down on her other side, "Not bad. I'm ready for the party to begin. Foggy hasn't even allowed us to have a first round of drinks. He's waiting for all the guests to arrive."

"That's a good point. Any idea who's coming?" Foggy asked.

Diana felt a bit uneasy, "I'm sure Steve'll come. I don't know about anyone else." Please no Tony Stark; Steve, please don't bring Stark.

"So, where'd your teacher find those bracelets?" Foggy asked.

"Apparently he'd recently visited Hong Kong. That's where they were." She replied, "He wanted to give me something to symbolize my birthday and moving up to the next level in my training. Hence the gift."

"That was really nice of him." Matt's gaze was turned toward the bracelets on her wrists and she wondered what he saw with his special vision.

Then Matt's head turned slightly, and his eyebrows went up. Seconds later, both Diana and Foggy heard a motorcycle outside. The blonde woman smiled a little, "Speak of the devil. That'll be Steve."

The rumble stopped and a few moments past. Diana could tell that Matt was listening to whoever was outside. She waited until the door opened and… a red-headed woman walked in with two blonde men behind her. Diana smiled. Natasha, Steve, and Clint. Pretty much everyone except Stark, Thor, and Banner (the famous one, the boisterous one, and the anxious one).

Steve smiled when he saw her, "Diana, hey." The three of them approached, and the Captain enveloped her in a bear hug. "Happy birthday."

Natasha smiled too, "Thanks for the invite. Where should we put your presents?" She held up a large bag that looked to have several items in it. Two looked to be wrapped in shiny red and gold. Oh dear.

Diana looked to Foggy, who seemed to have frozen again to gawk at her muscled man friends and the voluptuous, fiery woman with them. Matt elbowed his best friend, "What? Oh, umm…" The blonde lawyer's voice cracked a little and he cleared his throat, "Over on that big table. Actually, let's go there now. I'm sure Josie's other patrons don't want us crowding around the bar."

The six of them went to the table with Foggy helping Matt so he wouldn't have to use his cane.

"I guess there should be a few introductions," Diana told them once they'd sat down. She motioned to Steve, "This is Steve Rogers. He's been my best friend for many years." She sent the blonde super soldier a grin and he looked a little sheepish. Diana then turned to Natasha with a little bit of hesitation, she introduced the super spy, "This is… Natasha Rushman." She watched Matt's head tilt to the right ever so slightly and his eyebrows twitched. Diana then came to the last Avenger's introduction, "And last, but not least Clint Barton."

She then turned to her lawyer friends to introduce them, "This loveable guy is Foggy Nelson and that guy," she pointed her thumb the blind lawyer, "is Matt Murdock." She saw Steve's gaze zero in on Luke's grandson.

"Nice to meet everyone," Foggy gave a big grin, "I guess we should get this party started!"

The drinks and food came out and the conversations began. Foggy attempted to flirt with Natasha, who flirted right back because she could or because she liked Foggy… there was no telling with her. Matt could probably tell. When the food was finished, the five of the six broke into teams to play pool. Unfortunately, both Clint and Natasha were awesome, Foggy was decent, Diana was okay, and Steve was abysmal. Matt just 'watched' from the sidelines with a smile on his face, listening to the cues hit the balls and the balls hit each other before going into the holes.

Next came a few rounds of darts. Clint at first tried to tone down his skill, as did Natasha, but he was an archer, and she was probably very good with throwing knives. They beat Diana, Foggy, and Steve (although the super soldier had great aim and came in third in the tournament).

"Where did you find these people?!" Foggy asked Diana, "They're awesome, and they're totally owning us!"

"We've trained together a couple times." She explained, "Natasha and me, at least." That was something that technically hadn't happened, but Diana couldn't really tell Foggy about being an Avenger, at least not yet.

Soon they all sat back at the table, and Foggy popped into the back. After he returned and sat back in his seat, Josie brought out a cake from the back moments later.

Foggy burst into song, "Haaaaaaa-" he waited for the others to join in, and they did, of course. They sang the Birthday Song for her. Diana noted that there were only two candles on the cake. When the song ended, she blew out the two candles and arched an eyebrow at Foggy. He smiled sheepishly, "I didn't know how old you were, so I just put two candles, just in case."

"It's awesome, Foggy. Thank you." She went to him and gave him a hug.

Food, drink, and conversation began again as the six of them chatted over cake. However, soon it was time to open some presents.

Natasha grabbed the gold and red wrapped presents. She spoke to Diana quietly, "Tony wanted to come, but I was pretty sure that you wouldn't have wanted to make this a spectacle. You know Tony. Still, he told me to bring you these. It's all paid for and set up by the way, except for one thing that will be brought tomorrow."

"Thanks, Nat." Diana told her and opened the two presents - the laptop and cell phone that Stark had promised her.

"Dude! You've got some awesome friends!" Foggy exclaimed.

"I've been promised this for a while." She replied.

There were a couple more presents on the table and Diana picked up one to unwrap, "That one's mine." Foggy informed her.

The blonde lawyer looked embarrassed as she held up a box which contained a bronze figurine of the Statue of Liberty. Diana smiled and ran her fingers over the box, "Foggy, this is beautiful. Thank you. I haven't even had the chance to see the actual Statue yet."

Foggy perked up, "Really? You haven't seen the most iconic attraction in New York City yet?"

"Been a bit busy… and poor."

"Well, we better remedy that soon."

Diana laughed, "That sounds great." She picked up the last present, "I'm guessing this is from Matt." Before she got a reply, she ripped the wrapping and opened the box. There was a little note inside and she opened it. Her eyes widened when she read the typing, 'Training at Fogwell's Gym starting Monday afternoons. Say this is an IOU.' She looked up at Matt, "I'm gonna hold you to this IOU, Matty."

"I didn't know what you'd like," he told her, tapping his glasses with a bit of amusement, "so I thought you could choose something out for yourself, and I'd just pay for it."

"These are some really nice presents, you guys. Thanks so much!" She told them.

"Another round of drinks!" Foggy called out.

Steve put a hand on Diana's arm, "Hey, could I talk to you."

"Sure." She turned to Foggy and the others, "We'll be right back."

Captain America and the Shieldmaiden stepped away from her friends. Steve spoke first, "I didn't want to give this in front of your two friends. Especially if they don't know…" He trailed off, his eyes darting toward Foggy and Matt, "Anyway…" From his leather jacket he produced a flat present, "This is for you. I don't know who took this, although my bet's on Howard, but SHIELD gave me a box of old pictures and information. I found this and thought you might like it."

Diana opened the present and sucked in a breath. It was an old photo, and she recognized the surroundings. It was that Christmas in 1944. It showed her and Bucky mid-waltz just staring at each other. A small smile was tugging at the edge of Bucky's lips as he looked at her, and she… Diana had never seen that expression on her face before.

A hand went up to cover her mouth, and she blinked quickly to keep away tears, "This is…"

"When I saw it, I knew I had to give it to you. I searched the rest of the box, but that was the only one."

"Oh Steve…"

"I miss him too."

"Thank you." Her voice was a bit gravelly, "Thank you so much."

The super soldier wrapped her in his signature bear hug, "No problem. You gonna be okay?" He asked.

She nodded into his shirt and took a few deep breaths, "I will be." Diana wrapped up the present again.

"Shall we?" Steve motioned back to the party.

"Yeah. Hey, did you want to talk to Matt about his grandfather?" She asked, trying to take her mind off missing Bucky, "You can probably figure out something since I know Matt can hear us."

"I'll do that later, maybe in a more private setting." Steve rubbed his jaw, "I don't really want to advertise that I'm here… Captain America I mean." He lowered his voice for his last statement, "He does look a bit like Luke."

Diana grinned, "I noticed. Come on, let's get back to the party."

The rest of the night was a blast with far too many drinks. Only Steve and Natasha were completely sober by closing time. Getting home would be interesting for the four who were tipsy or drunk. So, the Captain and Black Widow made sure everyone got home safely. Foggy decided to crash at Matt's so that he wouldn't have to make Diana's friends make another stop.

At Diana's door, Natasha spoke, "You have some interesting friends."

"Matt and Foggy are great." The blonde woman replied with only a little slur.

"Did you know that Murdock is on our SHIELD watch list?" The redhead asked.

"Wha-?" Diana could barely compute that fact for a second before she went pale, "SHIELD knows about…"

"We've known since he was picked up by another on our watch list - some guy with the codename Stick - after a weird chemical accident and his dad's murder. This Stick guy seems to just appear out of nowhere and vanish without a trace. He took Murdock with him, so we had to assume that he received training of some sort because 'Stick' is definitely not the adopting type. He beat up eight SHIELD agents; that's pretty good for a supposedly blind guy." Natasha told her, "So, what do you know about Murdock? We know HYDRA experimented on his grandfather, gave him a serum. So, what's his deal?"

"Matt's not special like that, at least I haven't seen him do anything worthy of the title 'super soldier.'" Diana replied defiantly.

Natasha frowned at her as Steve cut in, "Leave it alone, Nat. I don't think Mr. Murdock is a bad guy. Otherwise Diana wouldn't be friends with him."

"Alright." Black Widow nodded before smirking a little, "He is pretty cute, though."

Diana put her face in one of her hands, "I've had too much to drink to deal with this. Please leave me to my sleep and headache in the morning."

"Come on, Nat." The Captain ushered the redhead down the hall to the elevator.

Diana unlocked her door and stepped inside, closing and locking it behind her. She dropped her bag of presents by the door and face-planted into her glorious couch cushions.


	9. Ironman 3

**I decided to update again. Yes,** ** _Ironman 3_** **gets its own chapter because it takes place during the Christmas season. So, there's a lot of pre- and post- movie stuff happening to flesh out the chapter. I think Foggy is one of my favorite characters to write - along with Sam Wilson. I don't know why those two are the clearest and not, say, Bucky or Steve. Oh well. Still, I hope you like the additional scenes and the changes Diana makes to the MCU.**

 **Please enjoy and review!**

 ***FMttM***

Diana promptly ignored the sound coming from her cell phone box in her bag of presents.

Ping!

Ping! Ping!

Ping!

Annoyed, she rolled over and fell off the couch. Her head was killing her. She blearily dug through her presents and found the cell phone box. She opened it and took out the Stark Smartphone, simplified to Starkphone.

4 new text messages from an unsaved phone number: 424-555-4766.

Diana groaned and tapped the envelope to look at the texts.

Text - 5:34 AM

Unknown: **Got your phone set up yet?**

Unknown: **I'm kind of bummed I didn't get to go to the party.**

Unknown: **Natasha said I'd be too obnoxious and obtrusive.**

Unknown (probably Stark): **I'm not obnoxious! I'm loveable!**

Text - 5:35 AM

Unknown (probably Stark): **I am obtrusive, though. What can I say, I like the attention.**

Diana finally decided to text back: **Long night. Head hurts. Leave me alone for 12 hrs.**

Text - 5:38 AM

Unknown (definitely Stark): **Kk.**

He was such a child. Diana saved his number to her contacts under "Robert Downey Jr." just in case anyone who wasn't supposed to was looking at her phone. At least she had the presence of mind to do that. She set the Starkphone down on her coffee table and rolled over on the couch to go back to sleep.

*FMttM*

Diana was getting off work around 5 PM when the Starkphone in her pocket went off.

Ping!

She groaned, sure that it was Stark texting her again.

Text - 5:02 PM

Robert Downey Jr.: **You should be off work now.**

Diana: **What do you want?**

Robert Downey Jr.: **Is your phone working okay?**

Robert Downey Jr.: **Did they guy from the Internet Company come set up your Internet?**

Diana texted back: **Yes to both.**

Then she added: **Thanks.**

Text - 5:04 PM

Robert Downey Jr.: **Awesome.**

Robert Downey Jr.: **Let me know if you have questions.**

Diana rolled her eyes and replied: **I know how to operate a Smartphone.**

Robert Downey Jr.: **But this is a STARKphone! :P**

Diana laughed a little as she texted back: **Same difference.**

Text - 5:05 PM

Robert Downey Jr.: **:C**

She put her phone back in her pocket and continued walking home.

Only a half hour later, Stark held a press conference about the Battle of New York Clean Up. Right in the middle a mech-enhanced person the media dubbed "The Melter" attacked and actually defeated Ironman. It was quickly found out that this man was Bruno Horgan, the CEO of Melter Technology, a competitor with Stark Enterprises.

Once the dust from the attack had settled, Diana called Stark as a courtesy because this was something that hadn't happened in the movies. _Ironman 3_ was supposed to take place during Christmas and be against The Fake Mandarin.

"Yello." Stark actually answered his phone.

"You're alive."

"Oh hey, Eowyn. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Diana rolled her eyes at Stark's pop culture nickname for her as she replied, "I saw the attack on TV. Thought I'd offer to help."

"Nah. I got it covered. Me and Rhodey'll be able to handle it just fine."

"Are you sure? Because that guy beat you soundly." Diana poked at Stark's pride.

"Thanks for mentioning that." His voice was sharp, "I don't need whatever it is you got."

She sighed, "I can do more than just create shields, you know.."

"What I really need is someone who can locate this guy as fast as possible. So, unless you got him tagged with GPS, I don't need you." He hung up on her.

Diana stared at her phone before setting it down and plopping on her couch. That… hadn't gone well. Sure Stark was obnoxious and missing common courtesy most of the time, but she knew from the movies that he'd had to do everything by himself since 1991. He trusted and relied on Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey only - his three oldest friends. He had once trusted and relied on Obadiah Stane, but that had led to betrayal, kidnapping, and almost dying numerous times. The only good thing that had come out of Stane's betrayal was the Ironman armor. Still, that betrayal had hit harder than Stark would like to admit, and he wouldn't trust someone new so easily.

She put her face in her hands and rubbed a bit. Stark was dealing with enough - hiding PTSD and still fighting the good fight against people who wanted to one-up him. Stark wasn't a bad man, in fact, he was turning out to be a rather good man. He was trying and that's what matters. If only he'd give up his abrasive, antagonistic, and elitist attitude - which was his emotional armor. Rub people the wrong way, you won't get hurt because they won't want to be your friend in the first place.

So she sent a guilty text: **I was worried. I didn't remember this happening. Sorry.**

He didn't text back.

*FMttM*

Diana visited Steve on Saturday by using her portal to go straight to his apartment. As she walked through the portal, she noted that the large desk in the office where her portal had brought her had two giant cork boards over it and quite a few art books and notebooks piled on it. The cork boards were filled with small to medium sketches of all of the Avengers and architecture from modern New York. There was a new drawing of Luke next to a sketch of Matt (without his glasses, surprisingly). She noticed that there were also a couple of Bucky in one corner.

"Diana?" Steve appeared in the doorway as she swished her hand to close the portal.

She smiled at him, "Hey Stevie."

He gave her his usual bear hug, "How are you?"

"It's a Saturday. I'm lucky to get the day off on Saturday from waitressing."

"Well, I'm glad you're here. Stark sent me this… phone thing, and I can't figure out how to work it." Steve led her to the living room and picked up the sleek Starkphone. The super soldier looked embarrassed, "I don't even know how to turn it on."

Diana took out her own phone and set it next to his, "There's no need to be embarrassed. You jumped from party rotary phones to smartphones. That's a HUGE difference. I can walk you through it."

"Thanks, Di."

So, she spent the day teaching him how to use the phone, contacts, and text. As she finished with that, she noted the closed laptop on the kitchen table.

"Did Stark give you a laptop too?"

Steve rubbed his neck and grimaced, "Yeah. I don't know what to do with that either."

Diana sighed and grumbled about Tony and SHIELD not helping her friend adjust to the new century. Computers in the '40s were the size of an entire room and not available to the public! How was Steve supposed to know how to work a laptop? Diana motioned to Steve, "Come on. Let's get that puppy plugged in, and I'll show you the basics on how to operate it."

She showed him how to turn the computer on, how to operate the various programs he could use, and how to do Internet searches. It was only the basics, but Steve was pretty smart and would hopefully get the hang of it quickly. She was just a call and a portal away if he needed help.

After the phone, laptop, and Internet lessons, the two of them sat down to watch more Disney movies; they skipped the animated movies that would not be considered part of the main canon, like those with TV show connections. They'd gotten to the Disney Renaissance, starting with _The Little Mermaid_. Steve enjoyed the artistic talent that went into making the films.

They'd finished watching _Pocahontas_ really late that night and Diana was about to Sling back to her apartment. Steve had a serious look on his face, which stopped her from taking out her Sling ring, "What's wrong?"

The Captain hesitated, "It's… well… SHIELD wants me to move to Washington DC in January."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I don't know how we'll be able to continue our movie nights. Or if I run into something I don't understand."

"Remember, I'm just a call away, you know," she held up her phone, "and I have you in my contacts."

"I know. It's just not the same."

"I can Sling by anytime too."

"I thought you couldn't Sling to someplace you hadn't been before."

Diana smiled, "I'm not a novice anymore, so my teacher gave me permission to Sling wherever I want, although I'm sure he wants me to Sling responsibly."

Steve grinned, "That's great!"

"I'll still need a picture of where I'm going; it makes creating the portal easier."

"Okay. When I get my new apartment, I'll text you pictures."

"We have quite a few animated Disney movies left, so we'll easily be able to have many more movie nights." Diana sighed, "Man, I was hoping we could get to the live-action popular movies that Stark's always referencing."

"We'll get there," Steve reassured her, "even when I go the DC."

"Okay. Just… let me know when you're moving, okay?"

"Of course I will, Di." Steve gave her his signature bear hug, "Get home safe."

She smiled again, "I will. It's just a Sling away." Diana made her portal, "See you soon, Stevie." She stepped through the portal.

*FMttM*

Diana finally got a text back from Stark late on Sunday.

Ping!

Text - 10:17 PM

Robert Downey Jr: **We're all good.**

She was a bit surprised that he'd even answer, and suspected it might have been Pepper or JARVIS sneaking on his phone. Still, she appreciated the update since the Melter had been on the news again that day.

However, Diana was most looking forward to Monday which would be her first session with Matt at Fogwell Gym after work.

*FMttM*

Matt came down from his apartment after work on Monday to retrieve her and suggested they walk to the Gym like he always did. He knew about her portal ability upgrade, but he preferred taking the 'scenic route' because it didn't mess with his senses.

Matt took off his glasses and outer shirt, leaving only his white t-shirt. He then dug in his bag to take out some hand wrappings. Diana had already changed into workout clothes before Matt had picked her up, and hadn't thought to bring a bag, but she had brought a water bottle.

The blind lawyer turned to her, still wrapping his hands, "I'd like to see where your fighting skills are. It'll help me know where things need to be adjusted." He then tilted his head to the side, "You didn't take off your bracelets."

Diana looked down at her relics and spun one around her wrist, "Ummm… They… won't come off."

Matt's eyebrows went up, "Won't come off? What kind of bracelet won't come off." His eyes narrowed, and she knew he was zeroing in his senses on the bracelets. He sucked in a breath and blinked, "They're magical. I thought they looked strange, but I put it off as unimportant."

"These are my relics: The Bracelets of Liǔ Xīng. I can activate them with a flick of my wrists."

"Huh… What do they -" He cut off, "You know, I'd like to try to figure it out for myself what they do."

"You… want me to use them?"

Matt shook his head, "Not at first. I need to get a baseline for your skill, strength, speed, stamina, etcetera."

Diana nodded and headed toward the ring, "You realize that I don't box. I'm more mixed martial arts."

"So am I. I just started out with boxing." Matt followed her into the ring. They stood across from each other, "Ready?"

"Yup."

They moved to their respective stances and circled each other. After a short pause, Matt came in with a right hand jab which Diana blocked and parried. She sent out a punch of her own, which Matt easily dodged by simply moving his head to the side. They parted and circled again.

Diana feinted to one side before going low to kick him off his feet. Instead of hitting anything, she watched as Matt easily backflipped out of the way of her kick.

"Show off."

He grinned in her direction before coming in fast and landing a couple punches and a kick that sent Diana stumbling backwards, "Pay attention to the next move, not the current one. You have to predict where your opponent's going next."

"I know. Be mindful of my surroundings." She made a face before centering herself and feeling the flow of magic in and around her. When she opened her eyes, she could see Matt with his fists up and a cautious look on his face. She chose a new stance and slowly moved forward as she watched Matt shift his own stance.

Suddenly, she vaulted in close and stuck a jab into his shoulder before spinning to the side and around him and striking him at the small of his back. He stumbled forward as she pivoted and kicked. He ducked the high kick and sent back one of his own which caught her off balance.

She fell to the floor, but used her hand to spin herself on her butt to get to one knee and strike out with another kick. That one missed by a mile.

"Fancy." Matt commented as he jumped out of the way.

Diana was back on her feet and lunged at him with three punches and an attempted headbutt, all of which were blocked or avoided. He landed a punch to her stomach which took the breath out of her and made her back off.

The fight continued for a at least ten more minutes as Matt put Diana through her paces. It was like getting an assessment from Master Drumm, except he'd just watch her form and not fight. Matt was evaluating her offense and defense as she fought. He was obviously better than she was, and he could more easily predict her moves thanks to his enhanced senses.

"Activate your bracelets." He suddenly instructed.

Diana flicked her wrists and smoothly continued the spar. After a few moments, she punched at Matt, and he blocked her fist with his hand. She pushed against his grip and watched as he struggled to throw her off. His eyebrows furrowed and his mouth thinned into a line of concentration. Diana brought her other fist around to punch his stomach. With his concentration fully on the fist that was in his hand, the second punch connected with his side, causing him to stumble sideways, let go of her fist, and get that fist in the face.

Matt's head snapped back, and he went sprawling to the floor. Diana stared wide eyed and immediately flicked her wrists to deactivate her bracelets. She leaned over her fallen friend, "I'm so sorry!"

Suddenly he grabbed the collar of her shirt and yanked. Diana flailed and fell next to him face first into the mat. He laughed a little as she let out a groan, "That's what you get for thinking I was defeated."

Diana rolled onto her back, "Yeah well…" She blew a raspberry at him.

"Those bracelets pack a real punch." Matt rubbed his face, "They have to add to your strength."

"Yeah, they added your strength to mine."

"That explains it."

"Do you… do you want me to heal that? I don't want you going to work tomorrow and saying, 'Oh, I fell into a doorknob' because that's a really lame excuse."

"You can do that?" Matt looked toward her in surprise.

"Yeah. It's magic, though. I don't know how you feel about magic."

Matt sat up and ran a hand through his sweaty hair, thoroughly messing it up, "With the attack so fresh in my mind, I think magic is the thing I'd least object to right now."

Diana sat up too, "Okay, just give me a sec." She made the correct hand gestures and, when her fingertips were glowing white, she reached out to Matt.

He flinched a little, his unseeing eyes darting toward her fingers, and then tensed, "This is gonna be weird."

"Probably." She touched the red swelling on his face with her glowing fingers and watched as his eyelids fluttered a little.

When she removed her fingers from his face, his brows furrowed, "That was the strangest thing I've ever heard or felt."

"I haven't had to do that too often, and I can't do it on myself."

Matt nodded and then lifted his t-shirt to show her the bruise on his side and spreading to his stomach. She used the same hand gestures, but brought the healing magic to the palm of her hand rather than just her fingertips with just a few gesture alterations. Diana then touched his bruises and watched as he tilted his head a bit with a strange expression on his face.

"Done." She removed her hand from his side.

"What's my prognosis, doc? Am I gonna live?" Matt joked.

Diana laughed, "You're gonna be just fine."

"Thanks for that, though. I hate having to explain those kinds of injuries to those who don't know about my abilities… which is pretty much everyone except you."

"And how did my assessment go? Did I pass?"

Matt stood and stretched out his arms, "Well, there's plenty to work on. I think incorporating some acrobatics will help in the long run and make movement easier." He paused, "Since your bracelets give you extra strength, you should work on speed and agility. I can definitely help with that."

"Great!" Diana climbed out of the ring, "And I'd like to learn a bit of boxing. The more styles of fighting I know the more I can mix it up."

"Hmmm… We'll see if that fits your style of fighting in the first place." Matt followed her through the ropes, "What does your teacher say about your technique and style?"

"I've learned what I can from him, so without changing teachers, there's not too much new to learn other than refining my technique and getting used to using my relics."

"I think it'd be best to not use your relics and increase your baseline abilities. Your teacher can help you train with the relics and the magic."

"Sounds like a good plan." Diana took a long drink of water from her water bottle.

"We'll continue meeting here each Monday after I get off from work."

"Okay. That's fine. I'll call if my shift changes." She paused, "I don't think I even have your phone number."

Matt's head tilted as he looked toward her, "You're asking for my phone number?" He teased with an exaggerated flirty smile.

Diana swallowed as her face heated, "You know I didn't mean it like that!"

He chuckled, "Yeah, I know. I just wanted to see your reaction."

"You… you idiot."

"Foggy calls me that sometimes." Matt dug in his bag and took out his own phone. He turned to hand it to her, "Put your contact info in there."

Diana put her information into Matt's phone before handing it back to him, "Give a call. I have it all set up."

Matt pushed a button on his phone and said, "Call Diana.."

An automated voice reiterated his order, "CALL DIANA?"

"Yes."

"CALLING DIANA."

A few seconds later, Diana's phone rang and she answered, "Hey, Matty. I got your phone information." Matt rolled his unseeing eyes and ended the call. Diana put his number into her contacts and labelled him as Charlie Cox.

He gathered his bag and zipped it closed, "We should head back. It's already dark."

"I could just use a portal to get us back."

Matt wiped at his forehead and sighed, "Okay."

Diana opened a portal to her apartment and stepped through. Matt followed and cringed as the noise from the Fogwell's Gym area and the noise from the apartment complex area messed with his senses. Diana quickly closed the portal and prepared to open one to Matt's apartment.

"I'll just walk from here." He said as soon as he caught on. Matt took hold of his cane as he left her apartment, "Good spar. I'll start thinking of moves to teach you during out next session."

"Awesome." Diana slipped her Sling Ring back in her pocket, ""Then I'll catch you later."

*FMttM*

December 19th of 2012 seemed to be shaping up to be a pretty terrible day. Diana decided as she watched the news footage late that night of the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood California explosion aftermath in horror. She knew that Stark's driver? Head of Security? Well, she knew someone important to Stark had been in that explosion.

She sent out a text: **How can I help?**

He answered almost immediately.

Text - 11:32 PM

Robert Downey Jr.: **Tell me you know something about the Mandarin.**

Diana hesitated for a moment before replying: **The Mandarin we've been seeing is a hoax.**

She sent another directly after that: **He is an actor. British. Trevor Slattery or something like that.**

Robert Downey Jr.: **Then someone must've hired him.**

Diana nodded to herself at Stark's deductions and wrote: **Yes. There is a real Mandarin, though.**

Another text directly after that: **You know his minions - The Ten Rings.**

Robert Downey Jr.: **Shit. Those guys again!**

Diana pursed her lips and texted back: **They're only responsible for some of the bombings, if any. I'm not sure.**

Text - 11:33 PM

Robert Downey Jr.: **Any ideas on who hired the fake Mandarin?**

Diana sighed and rubbed her forehead. The information would keep Tony safe, and maybe prevent him from doing something stupid, like giving out his address to the public and subsequently getting his house blown up and sent crashing into the ocean.

So she sent the text: **Aldrich Killian.**

There was a long period where she didn't get a text back. She imagined Stark throwing a swearing session.

Text - 11:41 PM

Robert Downey Jr.: **Where can I find this dickwad?**

Diana paused. She knew Killian had a mansion somewhere, but had no location. She texted: **He has a mansion, but I don't know where. He's A.I.M, if that helps.**

Robert Downey Jr.: **I'm going after him.**

Diana texted back: **Be careful. Take Rhodey with you.**

She added: **Killian dosed himself with something called Extremis. He can melt lots of stuff.**

She sent a third text: **It'll be like fighting Steve, plus melting powers.**

Text: 11:42 PM

Robert Downey Jr.: **Thanks for the info.**

Diana sent a final text: **Trevor Slattery hangs out at Killian's mansion too. He's a moron so don't hurt him. Arrest him.**

She didn't get an answer after that, so she knew she only had to wait for the inevitable to happen.

*FMttM*

It was December 23rd when she got a text from Stark as she was preparing for work.

Text - 7:03 AM

Robert Downey Jr.: **Killian's dead. All others arrested. Am I awesome or what?**

Diana rolled her eyes and decided not to answer. A few minutes later, she got another text.

Text - 7:07 AM

Robert Downey Jr.: **Party at the Tower on Christmas Eve. 5:30 PM. Dinner, booze, and fun!**

She smiled and texted back: **I'll be there.**

Robert Downey Jr.: **:D**

*FMttM*

Diana didn't have to work Christmas Eve or Christmas Day because the bosses were just that nice to their staff. So she spent the day with Matt and Foggy who also had Christmas Eve and Day off.

She taught Foggy to make sugar cookies and icing from scratch, just like her mother used to make. They had the radio on playing Christmas music as they worked. While the cookies were baking, the three of them sat on the couch and armchairs with eggnog spiked with rum. They were just laughing and telling jokes and stories about Christmases past.

Then a song came on that made Diana's heart plummet. It was the same song that she and Bucky had danced to during Christmas of 1944. Her hand went to the locket and squeezed it tightly.

Ding! The oven went off indicating the first batch of cookies were done baking, "I'll get 'em!" Foggy jumped up excitedly from his seat and went into the kitchen.

Matt took the opportunity to lean forward with a concerned look on his face, "What's wrong?"

"I danced to this song with Bucky before…"

"Ah." His expression changed to understanding and a bit of sadness, "I'm sorry."

"Yeah."

They sat in companionable silence listening to the song until Foggy called from the kitchen, "There's cookies that need frosting and eating guys!"

Diana and Matt went into the kitchen with Foggy none-the-wiser about Diana's short trip down memory lane. The two blonds frosted cookies as the brunet munched away at the couple deformed ones. Just as they finished frosting the cookies, another Christmas song from the 'olden days' came on the radio.

This one made Diana smile, "Either of you guys know how to dance?"

"Wha-?" Some crumbs fell from Foggy's mouth as he had just taken a bite of the cookie he'd frosted.

"You know, dance, like the jitterbug or Charleston or whatever."

"No." Foggy gulped, "Well, I think I had a unit on square dancing in middle school."

"I can dance." Matt looked toward them.

"What? You?" Foggy pouted, "How can you dance?"

"You don't really need to see to dance." Matt's lips quirked into a crooked grin. He stood from his seat and, while touching the back with one hand, held out his other to Diana.

In the middle of the kitchen, they began to dance. Matt was actually a decent dancer. Not as good as Bucky, but still, pretty good. He was even anticipating and interpreting her movements and moving before she did so he could lead. It was a good tactic for someone who might be unfamiliar with a particular dance. He learned fast.

The dance did, of course, have a pattern, and Matt soon knew the steps and was able to fully lead in no time. He began to improvise a little toward the end of the song. He raised his arm and twirled her around before continuing the steps and dipped her just as the music ended.

Foggy was agape, "Holy hell, Matt! I didn't know you could do that!" Then he began to pout again, "Why can't I get the ladies like you do? It's like you're magic."

Matt reached out for his seat again and touched the back of the chair lightly. He gave a small smile and shrugged, "I don't know Fog. I guess they just look at me and -"

"He's a goofy puppy dog." Diana caught Matt's hair and ruffled it.

"And what am I?" Foggy turned his pout on her.

"You're a big huggable bear, Fog." She replied, "You just need to find the right girl to be interested in your pic-a-nic basket."

The blond man's face turned red a little, "Yeah…" His voice cracked and he cleared his throat, "I'll… do that." Diana put the second cookie sheet in the oven. Foggy cleared his throat again, "So, Diana, where'd you learn to dance?"

She froze for a second before replying, "I had a GI boyfriend a while ago. He liked the old-time-y dances, and he was good." She gave a small smile, "Man, was he good. And when we'd dance, the world would melt away, and it was just the two of us and the music."

"What happened to him?" Foggy asked quietly.

"He's gone," she replied, "MIA during a mission."

"I'm sorry. Sounds like you had an epic love story."

"Funny thing is, I barely saw him. I knew him for a little over a year, but was really only with him for a few months. The rest of the time he was on missions overseas."

"Maybe he's still out there." Forever the optimist, Foggy sent out encouragement that there was still the possibility of a happy ending. He was just that type of person.

Diana smiled sadly, "I hope so. If he is, I'll find him or he'll find me." She gripped the locket again.

Soon the topic shifted to Foggy simply teasing Matt about his love interests during college, although a woman named Elektra seemed to be a taboo subject for Matt. One mention of her and Matt shifted the topic immediately with a bit of bite in his voice.

It was getting close to five o'clock when Diana said her goodbyes. Foggy was heading home to his family and dragging Matt along so he wouldn't be alone on Christmas.

As Diana was changing into party clothes, she got a text on her phone.

Text - 5:02 PM

Robert Downey Jr.: **Sending a car to pick you up. Be ready in 5.**

Diana put her phone in her purse and looked in her bathroom mirror to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, like eye-liner or lipstick. With a smile to herself, she murmured, "Wish you were here, Buck." She turned and headed down to the car that would be waiting to take her to the party at the unfinished Avengers Tower.

*FMttM*

Diana entered the ground floor of the Avengers Tower. All of the debris had already been cleaned up, and the ground floor had been repaired, but there were still ghosts of the damage the invasion had done back in May. She paused, not really knowing where to go or where to find the elevators… or even what floor the party would be on.

"Welcome to Avengers Tower, Miss Larson." Came a British voice, "The elevators are to your right."

Diana startled a little. Not even her knowledge of JARVIS' existence could prepare her for actually encountering him, "Thanks, uh, JARVIS." She replied and headed in the direction the AI had indicated.

"You're most welcome, Miss Larson."

Diana found the elevators and pressed the button to go up. When the door dinged, she stepped inside and saw numerous numbered buttons, "Um… JARVIS, could you, maybe, just take me to the floor where the party is. I'm pretty sure it's the Penthouse, but considering it got the most damage from the attack, I wasn't -"

"Of course." The AI replied and the largest numbered button lit up, "You are correct, of course, that the party is in the Penthouse. It was the first part of the Tower Mr. Stark restored."

"Oh. That's cool." She acknowledged as the elevator went up. Diana smoothed her dress, which was a Christmas-y red color and flowed down past her knees.

After a moment, JARVIS spoke again, "I have announced your arrival, Miss Larson."

"Okay." The doors dinged open and Diana stepped out to a very decked out in Christmas lights Penthouse. Her jaw dropped, "Wow."

"You like it?" Stark appeared out of nowhere, not that she'd been paying attention to her surroundings. Matt would scold her.

"This is really nice, Mr. Stark."

"After everything that happened in Cali, I just wanted to get away for a bit." He shrugged, "Your intel really sped things up and saved me lots of headaches."

"Good, I'm glad I could help." She offered him a smile. She looked around for Steve and saw him sitting on one of the couches with a coke. He was talking to Natasha quietly before he looked up and saw her. The Captain sent her a smile and stood from the couch.

"Diana," he came toward her, "glad you could make it. Natasha and I were finalizing my moving plans for January."

"Yeah, the Capsicle is leaving us." Stark stuck out his lower lip, "I'm devastated."

Natasha had followed behind Steve and sent Diana a nod, "Diana, a pleasure to see you again."

"Likewise, Natasha."

There was an awkward silence before Stark broke it, "So, would you like a drink? I bet you'd like a drink." He headed toward the bar where Diana saw Clint leaning against it, watching the scene unfold.

"Hey, Clint."

"Hey, Diana." He greeted with a friendly smile. He was much more relaxed than Natasha, "How's it going?"

"Not too bad. I actually had a get together earlier today with Matt and Foggy. We made cookies and had eggnog."

"They're cool dudes." The archer nodded, "I wouldn't mind hanging out with them again sometime."

"I'll let them know."

Stark handed her a drink, and to her surprise it was a Tequila Sunrise. She stared at the drink and then at Stark, "What- What is this?"

"A Tequila Sunrise."

She just stared uncomprehendingly, "How-?"

"My dad talked about you a bit. He only called you 'the nurse' though, which was weird," Stark gave her a calculating look, "but after hearing your story it took me all of two seconds to figure out that you were who he was talking about. Thought I'd make you that as a bit of nostalgia."

"Thanks…" She took a sip; it was just like she remembered and she smiled.

The party continued for quite a few hours. Stark insisted on watching some of the old Christmas specials and movies. The billionaire put in _Home Alone_ first. Diana then insisted on _Mickey's A Christmas Carol_ or _The Muppets' Christmas Carol_. They ended up watching both. They watched until very early in the morning, about 3 AM, finishing with _Frosty the Snowman_.

"Alright, you kiddies," Stark told them all, "it's time for you to go to bed so Santa can come."

Diana was a bit groggy and out of it from her several alcoholic drinks and slurred, "In some universes, Santa is a demon who eats badly behaved children. Or maybe that's his cow-counterfart-part Kramps - no - Krapus - no - Krampus. I don't re-remember-er."

"Well, that's pleasant." She heard Stark say as her head plopped on Steve's shoulder, "Cap, why don't you take her to her room. JARVIS will show you where it is."

Steve edged out from under her and picked her up, "You shouldn't have drunk so much, Di." He muttered.

"Shut up, Dorito."

"What was that?!" Stark was suddenly really close and loud.

Diana squinted at him, "Dooooooo-reeeeeee-toooowowowow."

There was a pause. Then the billionaire started cackling, "Okay, that's hilarious! I'm totally using that from now on! That's just as good as Capsicle!"

"Thanks a lot." Steve grumbled, "I'm never letting you get drunk again if this is what happens."

"Meh." Diana simply buried her face in his chest and fell asleep long before Steve dropped her onto her bed in the room that had been prepared for her.

*FMttM*

 _She stood in the lights of a Christmas tree at the house where she grew up. Outside the living room window behind the tree was a couple feet of snow like she hadn't seen since she was little. The tree was the only illumination in the living room, as usual. She turned around and walked past the couch on her left and the two Lazy Boy chairs on her right to the formal dining room table. The nicest plates were set out on a lacy tablecloth her grandmother had crocheted, complete with wine glasses - although her family usually only had sparkling grape juice so that her younger siblings could have some too. A few lit candles sat on the lazy susan her mother had gotten at the Blueberry Arts Festival in Ely._

 _She could look out the back of the house to the big, old oak tree with the sandbox at its base - all covered in snow. The translucent white curtains were pulled aside so that she could see everything in the moonlight. She looked to her right, past the sliding door and into the kitchen. There was her mom cutting the ham into slices and pieces. Diana's dad was cutting off the skin and fat like his father had done before him._

 _"_ _Hi sweetie." Her mother looked at her with a smile, "How about you set out the hot pads and drinks."_

 _"_ _Sure mom." Diana answered and went to one of the cupboards just to the left of the oven. She grabbed a few hot pads and returned to the formal dining room to set them out._

 _"_ _What time did he say he'd be coming?" Her mother asked in between cuts with her electric knife._

 _"_ _What?"_

 _"_ _James. You said he texted you about when he'd be here."_

 _Diana froze. James? Who the hell was James? "Ummm… I don't know mom."_

 _"_ _Where's your phone?"_

 _"_ _I-" The doorbell rang before she could answer._

 _"_ _I'll get it!" There was a rapid thumping from the stairs near the front entryway and Donna sprinted down them. She looked rather pretty in a pale pink dress that Diana had seen her wear last Christmas Eve. Diana glanced down at herself and saw she was wearing a nice pale blue dress that kind of made her look like Elsa from Frozen._

 _"_ _D, wait a second," Diana took a few steps in her sister's direction, but didn't make it before the girl opened the door._

 _"_ _JAMES!" She squealed, and suddenly she was hugging the guy._

 _Diana froze. Okay… what the hell was Sebastian Stan doing here and why did her sister call him James? Another memory flittered across her mind: James… Bucky. She felt like she'd been struck by a freight car as she realized that this was not the actor, but James Buchanan Barnes, aka Bucky. Okay. Seriously, what the hell?_

 _James, or Bucky, or whatever was laughing as he extricated himself from her sister's hug, "Good to see you too, little D." The girl beamed as he looked to Diana with a warm smile, "Hey dollface."_

 _"_ _B-Bucky?"_

 _"_ _I know I'm a bit later than I said. I'm not used to all this snow! Brooklyn doesn't ever get this much." He explained as he took off his navy blue coat and revealed his casual suit jacket and shirt underneath. He paused and gave her a curious look, "Did you just call me 'Bucky?'"_

 _"_ _I'll take your coat for you, James." Donna offered._

 _"_ _Is James here yet?" Came Davis' voice from not too far away. He must've been down in the basement. The boy appeared from the hallway and grinned, "James! You made it!"_

 _"_ _Hey there, kiddo." He ruffled Davis' strawberry blond hair. The boy made a face and stepped away from the older man._

 _This was so weird. Diana stood there gobsmacked. Was this her life now? What-How…?_

 _"_ _I got a new game for Christmas!" The boy gushed._

 _James-Bucky-whatever raised his eyebrows, "That so? I thought Santa wouldn't come until tonight." He flashed a smile in Diana's direction, a smile she hadn't seen in a long time._

 _Davis wrinkled his nose at the thought of waiting before replying, "We always get to open one gift on Christmas Eve after church."_

 _"_ _What game did you get?"_

 _The boy's face lit up and he started telling James about the first person shooter he was playing and how he'd chosen to be a sniper because James had been a sniper when he'd been in the service and-_

 _Diana stopped listening and noticed that James was still wearing his black leather gloves. She tensed, not knowing what to make of that and turned back to the kitchen, "James is here." She said in an almost monotone. The words just dropped out of her mouth without her knowledge._

 _Her mom quickly wiped her hands on a dishcloth and exited the kitchen. She greeted James with a warm hug, "I'm so glad you made it safe, James."_

 _"_ _Thanks, Mrs. Larson. I'm glad to be here." He hugged her back._

 _Diana's dad was next and he stuck out his hand, "James. Good to see you again."_

 _James shook it, "Likewise. Steve went back to New York with his girl, so I thought… Why don't I visit mine?" He sent Diana a bright grin again and she felt like she was melting. Her chest hurt. Why did her chest hurt?_

 _"_ _Well, supper will be ready soon. Go have a seat in the living room." Her mother instructed._

 _"_ _But I was gonna show him my game!" Davis whined a little._

 _"_ _You can show him after supper. After all, he will be staying on the fold out couch in the computer room._

 _"_ _Okay." The boy looked mournful._

 _"_ _Don't worry kiddo. I'll come and play with you right away afterwards." James promised, causing the boy to smile and scamper off back to the basement._

 _Diana's father returned to the kitchen and her mother called for Donna, "I'd like some help setting out the mashed potatoes and green bean casserole." The girl pouted, but followed her mom's directions._

 _Finally, it was just James and Diana, "I didn't get to say hello properly." He murmured and stepped closer. His face was so close to hers. His blue eyes burned, his left hand came up, and he ran his fingers down her cheek. Her eyes fluttered closed, "Did you know," his voice was low and mercurial, "that Winter is coming? Or maybe... it's already here." The left hand trailed down to her neck and suddenly squeezed with a vice-grip._

 _Diana's eyes popped open, and they weren't in her home anymore. Everything was black except the man in front of her. James-Bucky-Winter Soldier glared at her darkly through his long hair, his blue eyes glowing with a menace she'd only ever seen on the big screen from the actor. Her fingers clawed at the grip holding her neck, but it was his left hand and she knew that it was futile._

 _Her vision darkened and…_

 ***FMttM***

Diana gasped awake, sweat on her brow. A dream. It was a dream. God. Her neck hurt - phantom pain from the dream… or maybe it was her head that hurt, but it had travelled down her neck... But her chest hurt too. She raised her hand to her heart and clenched her jaw. There were tears on her cheeks. She sniffled.

"Miss Larson, are you alright?" Came the soft British voice of the resident AI.

"I-" Her voice cracked with sleep and emotion.

"Would you like me to call Captain Rogers?" JARVIS asked. She nodded silently. There was a short pause before the AI spoke again, "The Captain is on his way."

Only a few moments later, there was a knock on her door. Diana cleared her throat before speaking, "Come in." The lights in her room came up just a little so they both could see.

"JARVIS told me you asked for me. Are you okay?" Steve asked, but didn't enter the room.

"I said come in, you doofus." She told the super soldier tiredly.

A pause, "You were crying." It was such a simple statement of fact, but it caused Steve to break his 1930s or '40s propriety and step inside to sit next to her on the bed, "What's wrong?"

So she told him about the dream, minus the Winter Soldier part. The compassion that crossed Steve's face when she talked about her family meeting Bucky spoke volumes. She knew he kind of understood what with his parents being gone since before he even entered the War.

"I miss them so- so much." Diana hiccupped, "It's been two years for me. I haven't seen their faces or heard their voices in over two years… almost three!"

Steve reached around her shoulders and hugged her close. He didn't say anything. What could he say? There really wasn't anything he could say that wouldn't sound… wrong.

Diana buried her face in his t-shirt and gripped it in her hand as she let herself break down crying.

She fell asleep on him - again.


	10. Thor: The Dark World

**We're making our way through Phase 2 and getting closer to** _ **The Winter Soldier**_ **. Since** _ **Thor: The Dark World**_ **has some mystical dealings, I figured that the sorcerers were (in canon) discretely involved with the Convergence. Of course, with Diana, things are a bit more active.**

 **I hope everyone enjoys the brief** ** _Thor 2_** **episode! Leave a review!**

 ***FMttM***

In the morning, Diana woke with a headache. And alone. She moaned.

"Good morning, Miss Larson. The time is 9:45 AM." JARVIS' smooth voice filtered through the speakers at a surprisingly pleasant volume. He was probably used to these kinds of wake ups from Stark's many nights of being too drunk to stand up properly. "The others are already in the living area."

"Thanks, JARVIS." She paused, "There doesn't happen to be a change of clothes anywhere? I wasn't expecting to stay the night."

"I believe earlier this morning, Captain Rogers went to your apartment and brought back some clothing." The AI told her, "Miss Romanoff delivered it to your room only moments ago."

"Okay." Diana rubbed her temples a bit, glad that the lights were still dim, "I hope I didn't do anything stupid last night." She grumbled as she dragged herself out of bed and began to change clothes.

Half way through getting her pants on, a memory of Doritos flitted through her mind and she froze, her eyes going wide for a second before she grinned and finished putting on her jeans. She'd mentioned Robert Downey Jr.'s nickname for Chris Evans. In fact, she'd called Steve a 'Dorito', and Stark had lapped up that nickname with glee. She'd probably have to explain the reference to Steve, though.

After she was finished getting dressed, she headed back to the living area - with a little help from JARVIS - and was greeted by all of the Avengers minus Thor.

"And Sleeping Beauty awakens!" Stark toasted a cup of coffee in her direction.

"I'll take some of that wholesome goodness," she told him, "with cinnamon and a bit of hot chocolate mix."

Stark motioned to a machine, "Knock yourself out."

Diana approached it and stared. She'd never seen a machine like this - for coffee or otherwise. She glared at Stark and decided to just start searching the cupboards for what she needed. Coffee wasn't necessary, but she really, really wanted it. Stark was being difficult as usual.

"I'll show you how to use it." Dr. Banner came over, sending a sharp look at Stark, who just looked snarky. Soon, Diana had a nice hot cup of Joe with her requested additives.

"Oh! By the way, Santa came last night. I guess everyone was good this year." Stark sounded much more awake than he should be considering he probably drank as much, if not more, than she had… Not that she could remember exactly, but still…

"He's on his fifth cup of coffee," Dr. Banner informed her softly, "You should've seen him an hour and a half ago."

That made Diana feel a little better as Steve sat beside her with his own drink. Soon, silence turned to small talk to pass the time.

Presents apparently came next in the Avengers household and Diana felt marginally guilty about not coming prepared. Heck, she hadn't even known there would be gift giving.

Some of the gifts were nice and thoughtful, others were practical jokes - like white elephant gifts - to brighten a person's day. One of the presents Diana received was actually a small note which read 'Shopping spree with Pepper on me. TS'.

Diana had, like, seven outfits (not counting dresses; then it would be ten). She didn't have the money to buy nice clothes, not on her budget. She looked up at Tony - yeah, she should start calling him Tony now because he was trying even if he was an annoying asshole most of the time - and mouthed 'thank you.' He gave her a quick smile before watching Clint dig into one of his presents.

This was shaping up to be a good Christmas, even if it was without her parents and siblings, even if it was without Bucky.

*FMttM*

It wasn't too many days later - just before New Year's - when Pepper dropped by her apartment and took Diana out shopping at every single one of the downtown shops. Although Diana didn't need or want extremely fancy outfits, Pepper insisted on getting the highest quality clothes - brand names - since money wasn't something they had to worry about. She actually had pretty good taste in clothes, although Diana did veto some things that were a bit… well, they didn't leave much to the imagination.

New Year's Eve was much the same as Christmas Eve: She spent it at Avengers Tower. However, this time Steve didn't let her have too many Tequila Sunrises, much to Tony's chagrin. It did, however, turn into another movie night plus sleepover. This time Tony insisted that Steve watch the original _Star Wars_ trilogy, which took them a little over six hours to watch all the way through. Diana had been unsure if Steve would be able to handle the battle scenes (Hoth and Endor), considering WWII was so fresh in his mind, but he actually made it through just fine.

It was about halfway into January when Steve (or Chris Evans as he was labelled in her contacts) sent her quite a few pictures from his new apartment in DC just after she got off work.

Text - 4:02 PM

Chris Evans: **Pictures from my new place.**

Chris Evans: **How do you send these things?**

Chris Evans: **Never mind. I got it.**

[picture of living room]

[picture of kitchen]

[picture of a bedroom]

Diana took the time to look at the pictures before she texted back: **It looks really nice!**

Text - 4:07 PM

Chris Evans: **Do you need more pictures?**

[picture of the entryway]

[picture of the view from his apartment]

Chris Evans: **It's kind of fun being able to send pictures.**

She paused again to look at the pictures again and sent an emoji: **:D**

There was a pause.

Text - 4:12 PM

Chris Evans: **What does :D mean?**

Diana laughed and texted back: **It's a grin.**

She then gave an explanation: **The colon is the eyes and the D is the mouth.**

And the alternate: **Switch it D: and it's the 'Oh no!' face or a frowny face.**

Another pause.

Text - 4:13 PM

Chris Evans: **So… :) would be a smile.**

Diana: **Yup. :P**

Chris Evans: **What's that?**

Diana: **I stuck my tongue out at you.**

She sent another emoji: **;) That's a wink.**

There were actual yellow smiley faces on the Starkphone, but Steve needed baby steps. She also knew that Tony would try to confuse Steve on purpose with the punctuation type emojis.

Text - 4:14 PM

Chris Evans: **I think I figured out one.**

Chris Evans: **^._.^ Cat!**

Diana smiled. He was an artist, a very visual guy, so of course he'd figure out keyboard emojis really quickly.

She texted back: **Lol.**

Chris Evans: **Lol?**

Diana: **It almost always means "laugh out loud" or "laughing out loud."**

She sent another text: **There are lots of shorthand words for texting.**

There was an pause before she received another text. Diana briefly wondered what the delay had been, but his text answered that question.

Text - 4:21 PM

Chris Evans: **I'm looking up this stuff on Google.**

Diana: **Good. I'm glad.**

Chris Evans: **I hope you can come by soon.**

Diana: **Thanks for the pictures.**

Chris Evans: **Of course.**

*FMttM*

The year of 2013 seemed to be completely uneventful, and Diana was just waiting on the edge of her proverbial seat for the events of _Thor: The Dark World_. She continued to hang out with Matt and Foggy as they became progressively more unhappy with their jobs at Landman and Zack. She also continued her sparring lessons with Matt at Fogwell's Gym. She had actually asked Matt if he could teach her to fight without her sight. He was actually very happy to teach her that skill as it was one he had been neglecting since leaving Stick.

In April, Diana found out that Steve had become a part of the STRIKE team for SHIELD and Diana told him to be careful out in the field. They finished their Disney marathon and started to watch some of the most influential and Oscar Winning movies from the decades after Steve had been frozen.

In the middle of August, Foggy happily announced that he and Matt had quit their soul sucking days at Landman and Zack, and that Matt had the brilliant idea of starting out their own law firm in Hell's Kitchen to help the helpless and the hopeless.

"We'll be the best damn avocados Hell's Kitchen has ever seen!" Foggy had exclaimed happily at Josie's.

Later in August, on a cool night around two in the morning, Diana woke suddenly to a knocking sound. She sat up and rubbed her face before going out to her living room. There was another set of knocks, and she realized that it was coming from the window and not the door.

Slumped a bit against the railing of her fire escape was Matt Murdock wearing all black and with a strip of black cloth over his eyes.

"Oh my god." The sight jarred her completely awake, "Matt!" Diana opened the window immediately and pulled her friend inside. He slid to the floor inside and Diana shut the window again.

"Thanks." He managed to say through his harsh breaths.

She knelt next to him and examined his bloody wrapped hands, split lip, and scrape across his right cheekbone, "Okay, what the hell happened to you?"

"One of our neighbors," he grimaced as he spoke, the movements reopening his split lip, "he was abusing his daughter. I called the police last night. The cops went to his apartment, and he got off. His wife denied it and his daughter was so scared of him that she refused to say anything. So I dealt with it myself. I… I pummelled him and threatened him." Matt reached up and finally took off the black eye mask. He blinked a few times before continuing, "I called for an ambulance before making my escape."

"Oh Matt." She bit her lip and began to make the gestures for a healing spell. Diana healed his split lip first, noting that one of his fingers twitched slightly, before moving up to the scrape on his cheek. "What about your hands?" She asked, not sure how much of the blood was his and how much of it was his target's.

Matt unwrapped his hands, "Nothing too bad." A few of his knuckles were split, so Diana healed them with a touch. Matt bowed his head, his eyes closed, "I don't know what to do, Di. I can hear everything that happens for several square blocks. My city is suffering, and going the right way, the way the law demands, just seems so… pointless. So I…" His hands clenched against the floor.

"You let the devil out" Diana coaxed softly.

The blind man nodded, looking like a little boy as he hunched his shoulders, "I threatened to kill him if I found out he was abusing his daughter again, that I'd know if he did it again." His face twisted with guilt, "I don't know if I could go through with it - killing him or anyone. I don't think I could do it."

"You'll never know if you can do it until a desperate enough situation comes up," she told him, her mind flashing back to the HYDRA soldier she'd shot all those years ago, "but when it does happen, it changes you."

He nodded, knowing the story. Matt placed a hand on hers and squeezed gently, "I'm gonna do everything I can to not cross that line." He then leaned his head back on the sill, his jaw set with determination.

"Are you going to go out again?" Diana asked.

His lips thinned at the thought, "I don't know. Maybe."

"Well, I only have one request."

Matt looked toward her, "Yeah?"

"Just call me or drop by if you're ever hurt, even if it's just a few scrapes," she told him, "I don't want to find you, and I don't want someone else to find you, dead in a dumpster somewhere."

He smiled and huffed a laugh, "I can do that. I'll just come here for healing, even if it itches from the magic. Then I won't need cover up stories."

There was a short pause as Matt's breathing from running and doing parkour for several city blocks calmed. "Do you want me to make you a portal to your apartment?" Diana asked, "Then you don't have to go out into the hall and elevator in your dorky costume."

"Sure." Matt said as he stood, "What's wrong with my costume?"

She simply smiled and created a Sling portal, "Go get some sleep, Matty."

His eyes narrowed, "What's dorky about my costume?"

"You look like the poor man's Dread Pirate Roberts."

The blind lawyer sighed, "It's the best I could do on short notice."

"Change it up a little, like a full head mask to hide your hair and black gloves to better protect your hands and to prevent fingerprints. You'll just be a blind ninja."

Matt looked thoughtful, "I'll see what I can do." He stepped through the portal and cringed.

"And make sure you avoid knives and bullets."

That brought a grin to his face again as he turned around, "I think I'll do that on principle. I'm not knife or bullet proof no matter what I wear."

Diana couldn't help but smile back, "I'll see you later, Matt."

"I won't." He joked, causing her to laugh as she closed the portal.

After that Daredevil began his near nightly rounds of micromanaging the hell out of the ten city blocks known as Hell's Kitchen.

*FMttM*

Over the next few months, Matt went out patrolling every so often, returning to Diana for healing. It wasn't until she saw Master Daniel looking concerned in November that she was informed that an event was going to occur in the next few days.

"Diana," Master Daniel addressed her, "we're going to the London Sanctum for an indeterminate amount of time. Master Wellington has reported that the alignment of the planets are going to cause an event called 'The Convergence.' If we can prevent any harm from coming to civilians."

"Why London? Wouldn't the Convergence be world wide?"

"One of the highest concentrations of Ley Lines occurs in Greenwich, England. It's where the effects of the Convergence will be the strongest. There will be sorcerers near other Ley Line concentrations and the anti-pods like that between Buenos Aires and Shanghai are being handled by the sorcerers of Kamar Taj and Hong Kong."

"There are no concentrations of Ley Lines in the US?"

"There is a concentration of Ley Lines on the border between Arizona and Mexico, one in north of the Bahamas, and one in Alberta. I have sent novices to those places, as well as to the Devil's Gate in Wyoming." Drumm informed her, "However, the Ancient One has told all sorcerers that the effects of the Convergence will be most noticeable in England. We are needed there as Master Wellington has no apprentices right now."

"Alright. Just let me call work and my friends to tell them I'll be out of the country for, what, a week?" Diana paused, "What excuse should I give my boss? I mean, this is really short notice. I kind of feel bad about this."

"I have taken the liberty of calling your workplace to give you a cover story. Your superiors are very kind and have allowed you the week off, but only if you work double shifts for the next few weeks. I surmised that you'd agree."

"Oh… Okay. Thanks for doing that. I don't want to lose my job." She then took a few minutes to call Steve and Matt.

"Come." Master Daniel turned in his robes and the two of them headed to the Portal Room.

*FMttM*

Master Daniel and Diana were immediately sent to Stonehenge as the magical energies the convergence had upset were focused in that area. They were given a car to drive to the national landmark with the warning to not use the Sling Rings due to the frenzied magical energies caused by the Convergence. When they arrived (in civilian clothes), they saw a man with a few tripods running around naked. Shocked, they stand by as the man is arrested by the police.

Coming out of her stupor, Diana realized she knew who it was and why he was acting that way, "That was Dr. Erik Selvig, the astrophysicist! He was taken under the control of the Mind Stone and Loki last year."

Master Daniel's lips thinned, "We must stay close, then. He might actually know something."

The two sorcerers quickly returned to their car and began to follow the police to the closest precinct.

"We're going to retrieve him and take him to the Sanctum. Perhaps there's something we can do to sort out his mental state." Master Daniel planned as he drove.

"Do we need a cover?" Diana asked. This was technically her first field assignment, "I mean, we can't just walk in there and take him. The cops might have a problem with that."

Master Daniel smiled, "Sorcerers have worked in tandem with various governments for centuries. Only the highest members of each government even know about us, although they don't know exactly what we do, only that we exist to help on a global scale. Here in England, we are technically a part of MI6 when it comes to legal issues."

"O...kay." She still looked confused, especially since she'd never heard of this information from the movies or even an inkling from the comic nerds on the Internet.

"Master Wellington gave us all of the materials we need. In the glove box."

Diana took some MI6 IDs out of the glove box, "Okay, suddenly I feel like I'm a Winchester." Master Daniel gave her a confused glance and she smiled, "Sam and Dean Winchester are Hunters of the supernatural. They use fake FBI IDs all the time to get info for their hunts." She paused, "It's a good thing they're a TV show."

"Well, these badges are real."

"Awesome."

*FMttM*

At the precinct, the cops reluctantly allowed them to take Selvig (who had been given prison-like clothes) into their own custody, and they headed back to the London Sanctum. They took him to a guest room to rest and collect himself.

He was out for the rest of the day, and it was mid-afternoon of the next day before Selvig wandered out of his room, looking at his unfamiliar surroundings.

In the main training room, when Selvig walked in, Master Daniel stood from the astral plane meditation he'd been teaching Diana and addressed the scientist, "Doctor Selvig, I hope you're feeling better."

"I'm not exactly sure what's going on. Where am I?" The doctor asked.

"You are in London at the Sanctum Sanctorum."

"I've been to London many times and have never heard of a Sanctum Sanctorum."

Diana smiled, "Think of it like the Leaky Cauldron of the real world."

"Leaky Cauldron?" Selvig questioned, before making the connection, "You mean the magical pub from the Harry Potter books?"

"Yup. I'm Diana Larson," she told him, "and this is my teacher, Daniel Drumm."

"It's nice to meet you, but I'd like to know what I'm doing here." He paused and put a hand to his head, "I remember... something… a Convergence that I... " His eyes scrunched and his coherent speaking became completely unintelligible gibberish.

Master Daniel frowned, strode up to him and struck the doctor in the chest with the palm of his hand, "Astral form, Diana."

She broke into her astral form immediately and saw that Master Daniel was already speaking to Doctor Selvig, who had panicked when he saw his own body frozen in time before him.

"This is the astral plane, Doctor Selvig." Master Daniel was telling him, "Only your soul, your spirit, is allowed on this plane, so whatever has been affecting your mind has no influence over you here."

The astrophysicist blinked several times and breathed deeply, "I haven't been able to think this clearly since before taking a look at the Tesseract!"

"The Tesseract and the scepter Loki used to take over your mind are part of a set of six singularities. It's why their power is so strong," Diana explained, "but that's not important right now. We're actually here about the Convergence."

"The Convergence? I haven't had the time to research it for very long, so I don't know too much." Selvig replied.

Master Daniel floated forward, "We know enough about the Convergence from a mystical side to know what we need to do. However, you were affected by an Infinity Stone. It is one of our duties to make sure that those who have been victimized by one or more are free of their influence."

Selvig cringed, "Well, I guess I'm a good candidate judging by my recent actions."

"We'll need to find out why your psyche is still affected by the Mind Stone." Drumm told Selvig, "We don't know how long it will take."

"Take as long as you like." Selvig told him, "I'd really like to be completely sane again. I don't want to do what I just did ever again. It makes me an embarrassment to my studies and my community."

"We'll do everything we can to get rid of the Stone's influence." Diana assured him.

"Thank you. Could I - uh - maybe contact my colleagues about this?"

"Of course, although we're not entirely sure what shape you'll be in when we return to the physical plane."

"That's okay. I'll have to deal with that until I'm better."

Master Drumm vanished from the astral plane and Diana followed just in time to see her teacher make a pulling motion and caught Doctor Selvig as he slumped forward.

"Woah…" Was all Selvig said before falling unconscious.

Master Daniel sighed, and lay Selvig on the floor, "I suppose we should see what's wrong on his mental plane while he's unconscious."

"How do you do that?" Diana asked. She'd only ever been to the astral plane, and never knew there even was a mental plane.

"This is not my area of expertise, but I have enough experience to make the journey safe." Drumm motioned for Diana to come over to him as he put his hands over Selvig's head.

*FMttM*

Selvig's mindscape was overwhelming. It was full of calculations, memories wisps, books both open and closed… it was a disorganized mess.

"We cannot stay in here too long or we may become trapped," Master Drumm informed her, "but we should explore as much as we can and try to find where the Mind Stone is still affecting him."

"It's still here on Earth." Diana told her teacher, "I bet that's why it's still affecting him." She then had a thought, "I hope Clint's okay."

"Clint?"

"A SHIELD agent who was under Loki's and the Mind Stone's control." Diana told Master Daniel, "Although he seems just fine. No crazy at all from what I know."

"Hmmm… Perhaps when we return to New York, you should bring this 'Clint' by so we can make sure."

"I'll see what I can do."

The two sorcerers wandered around the mindscape, trying to find something that reminded Diana of the color of the Mind Stone in the sceptre. She was, after all, the only one who had any idea what color the Mind Stone was.

After a short time, Diana saw something blue out of the corner of her eye and turned sharply to look at the flash of unnatural color, "There!" She called out to her teacher.

They both approached the tall glowing blue pedestal which had a blue stone displayed at the very top.

"You will not break my influence, seidkona." A form materialized in front of the pedestal. He was tall, dark-haired, with piercing ice blue eyes, wearing black, gold, and green leathers and armor.

"Loki. How exactly are you here? I thought you were in a prison cell on Asgard." She mocked him.

The god of mischief grinned, "Oh, I am just a memory conjured by dear Doctor Selvig and given power by the remnant of the Mind Stone."

"So, you are the one who attacked New York." Drumm crossed his arms and glared.

Mind-Loki appraised the master sorcerer and sneered, "You would never understand my purpose. I was made to rule and you ants denied me."

Diana sighed, "Really? That's what you told the people you enslaved?"

Drumm looked to Diana curiously, "What do you mean?"

"Loki was not sent to rule Earth. He was simply a pawn to get try to retrieve the Tesseract for Thanos the Mad Titan. Since he failed, Thanos will kill him the next time they see each other."

"I see." Drumm looked thoughtful. Then he then put out his hand, which glowed a bright yellow, "Be gone. Shatter and dissipate."

Mind-Loki flicked his fingers and laughed, "Did you think it would be that easy. Perhaps you should be gone!" He flung out his own hands and there was a blue flash of light.

Diana and Master Daniel fell backwards onto the floor of the Sanctum Sanctorum.

"What the hell was that?" Diana demanded.

Master Daniel frowned and stared at the still unconscious Selvig, "That was unexpected. The Mind Stone has quite the strong protection."

"Yeah. I'd think so."

"I'm going to have to research this and find out how to fight and destroy the remnant."

"What about Selvig?"

Master Daniel took out his Sling Ring and created a portal under Selvig, "I've put him on the guest room bed."

They began their research in the Sanctum Libraries to see what they could find to help the good doctor recover from the influence of an Infinity Stone.

*FMttM*

The next day, Drumm informed Diana that going back into Selvig's mindscape was too dangerous for her with her inexperience with mind magic and sent her out to investigate the progression of the Convergence. He had located a concentration of frenzied energy at a factory and asked her to investigate the anomaly.

Diana went through Master Drumm's portal to a closed industrial site and began to snoop. She heard the voices of a few kids talking about dropping objects into a hole and simply disappearing. She approached the voices, going into an unfinished building.

Then… "Jane?!" A young brunette woman called out, "Where are you?" She turned and saw Diana. Up came what looked like a taser, "Who the hell are you?"

Diana put his her hands a little, "I'm Diana. I'm here to help."

"Oh yeah? Well… how do I know you haven't stashed Jane somewhere and aren't a crazy person?" The young woman shifted on her feet, "You shouldn't mess with Jane. She knows some very powerful people."

"Yeah, I know. I've met Thor."

"Wha-?"

Suddenly a petite brunette appeared out of nowhere, stumbled, and fell to the ground.

"Jane!" The other brunette forgot all about Diana and knelt next to Jane, "What happened? Where the hell did you go?"

"Tell me you didn't call the police!"

"Well, what was I supposed to do?"

"Not call the police!" Jane reprimanded.

Diana spoke, "Considering this place is getting more unstable by the minute, I think we should get out of here."

"Who're you?"

"Apparently," The brunette made a duck-face, "this is Diana and she's here to help."

"Yeah, I am, and I'm pretty sure the cops you called are on their way. We should be gone before they get here."

Jane's eyes narrowed a bit, "Are you SHIELD?" She didn't wait for Diana to answer as she glared at her friend, "If you called the police, then they tell the feds and they tell SHIELD. They'll be crawling all over this place in no time, making it into the new Area 51."

"Actually, these anomalies are being caused by the planetary alignment." Diana told Jane, "It won't last long enough for SHIELD to even investigate as thoroughly as they'd want to."

"So you are SHIELD."

"Nope. I wouldn't trust SHIELD as far as you could throw them."

"I can understand that." The brunette, whom Diana finally remembered was called Darcy, agreed, "They stole our shit back in New Mexico. I still haven't gotten my iPod back, and they never reimbursed me."

"We should leave before the actual law enforcement people come in." Diana attempted to get the scientists back on track before mumbling, "At least you don't have Torchwood or UNIT in this universe."

Darcy suddenly broke into a grin, "If we did have Torchwood, I'd totally be up for a bit of Captain Jack. He is mmm-mmm scrumptious."

Suddenly the weather turned a bit stormy and thunder sounded through the air. Jane put her hand out and a few droplets of rain fell on her hand.

"That's weird." Darcy did the same only to have the rain go from a sprinkle to near pouring, "Okay, really? Not fair." There was a flash of light that made Diana and most likely Darcy need to shield their eyes.

When the light faded, Thor stood not far away. Jane handed a sciency gadget to her intern and began to walk towards the god of thunder.

Darcy sighed and gave Diana a side glance, "Typical. He's left Jane high and dry since before the attack on New York. She's not gonna be happy-" SMACK! It echoed through the area, "Whoop there it is." Darcy commented.

A few moments later there was another smack, "Where were you?!" Jane's angry voice could easily be heard from where she and Thor were standing.

"Where were you?" Thor shot back, "Heimdall couldn't see you!"

"I was right here where you left me. I was waiting and then I was crying and then I went out looking for you. You said you were coming back!"

Diana took a few steps toward them, "You know, that's not entirely true. You were just gone for -" She turned to Darcy, "How long was she gone for?"

"Five hours!" The brunette replied.

"You stumbled into the Dark World and found the Aether, which then took you as its host."

"What are you speaking of, Seidkona?"

"Jane saw something gooey and mysterious in a world not her own and decided, 'Ooo, look at that! I'm'a touch it!'" Diana rolled her eyes, "I think a good scientist would actually say, 'Ooo, look! An unknown substance that could be hazardous to my health. I better not touch it.'"

Jane looked a bit guilty, "Well, I…" She shuffled her feet, "I really don't have an excuse."

Thor, however, looked concerned and curious, "Seidkona, how is it you came to be here?"

"The Convergence has attracted our attention. Portals are kind of our thing."

"And hey, could you stop the rain?" Darcy asked, "I don't think any of us lowly humans want to catch hypothermia."

Thor simply looked up at the sky and the rain ceased. He then looked back to Diana, "So, you know of the Convergence."

"Yes. It'll come and then it'll go. We're just trying to contain the portals."

Thor nodded and looked to Jane, "I apologize for not coming to see you sooner. The Bifrost was destroyed. The Nine Realms erupted into chaos, wars were raging, marauding hordes were pillaging. I had to put an end to the slaughter."

Jane scowled at him, "As excuses go, that's not terrible. But I saw you on TV, you were...you were in New York!"

"Jane, I fought to protect you from the dangers of my world, but I was wrong, I was a fool." Thor placed his large hand on Jane's cheek, "I believe that fate brought us together. Jane, I don't know where you were or what happened, but I do know this."

"What?" The scientist asked, entranced.

"I know…"

"You do?"

"Do… what?" Thor was leaning closer to Jane, most likely getting ready to kiss her.

Diana sighed and averted her eyes. Black Widow was - or 'would be' as the case may be - right. Being a voyeur to kissing is pretty uncomfortable. That's when Darcy cleared her throat, saving the day from uncomfortable romantic scenes rivaling that of Anakin and Padme.

"Uh, hey guys?"

Jane practically jumped backwards and blushed, "Uh...we're kind of in the middle of something."

" Um...I'm pretty sure we are getting arrested." Darcy pointed to several police cars that were parked not far away. There were two officers near a young man with his hands up, along with some equipment

"Let me handle this." Diana told the two women and god. She approached the police and took her MI6 badge out of her pocket, "Good day, gentlemen. What can I do for you?"

"Are you Jane Foster?" One officer asked.

"No, but," Diana showed her badge, "I am MI6. I've come to investigate the weird things happening here recently. A woman disappeared five hours ago because she's a bit stupid for a brilliant scientist. It's all being handled by my department."

The officer closest to her took her badge and examined it, "A bit young to be Jane Bond. You're not even English."

"Just because I'm not English doesn't mean I can't be a part of MI5 or MI6. Plus, I just graduated from the coursework, which explains my age." Diana lied, "This is technically my first field mission."

"Where's your mentor?"

She shrugged, "I just got the assignment and went to take care of it. I assure you, my hands are very capable."

"Well, MI5, MI6, or otherwise, this is private property and you're trespassing, the lot of you. I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

Another police officer went to grab Jane's arm when suddenly the force of the Aether erupted from her, knocking everyone to the ground.

Thor ran to Jane, kneeling next to her, "Jane! Jane? Are you alright?"

"What just happened?" She asked, holding her head.

"It's the Aether." Diana stated.

The police officers were antsy, and the lead officer ordered, "Place your hands on your head, step back!"

Diana glared at him, "I had this under control until you and your bobbies decided to try and take over my case! Are all of you idiots or something?"

At the same time Thor spoke as well, "This woman is unwell."

"Either you and your officers back off, or I am calling you in on your insubordination." She turned to Thor, "You should take her to Asgard. Your healers might be able to extract the Aether from her. It is, after all, an Infinity Stone."

Thor's eyes widened, "Another?"

"Yeah, and it's a beacon for the last surviving Dark Elves who've been hibernating in deep space or something."

"Requesting armed response officers to the scene." One of the officers radioed in.

Diana sighed in annoyance, "Oh please." She looked to Thor, "Go! I'll get the others away from here, don't worry."

"Thank you, Seidkona." Thor bowed his head respectfully.

"My name's Diana." She sent a smile to the god of thunder.

"Lady Diana, then. Thank you for the information and the warning. I will be sure to inform the Allfather." Thor took Jane in his arms, "Hold on to me."

"What're you doing?" Jane asked, still a little stunned from the Aether blast.

There was the bright flash of light from the Bifrost, and Diana, Darcy, the young man intern, and the police could only watch as Thor and Jane vanished.

Diana turned back to the police officers, "If you don't leave me to my case, my superiors will not be happy with your precinct. You will let us do what we came here to do." Without waiting for an answer, she went over to the young man, "Come with me if you don't want to get arrested."

"Ummm… O...kay?" He glanced at the officers and hesitantly followed Diana.

"Come on." She motioned to Darcy.

The three of them went back into the unfinished… condemned?... factory, "Man, I totally thought we'd be arrested." Darcy breathed in relief, "You saved our bacon."

"My car is on the other side of this building. I can take you someplace safe for the time being."

"Great!" Darcy perked up, "Do they have coffee? I suddenly have a craving."

*FMttM*

The three of them arrived at the Sanctum in London just in time for a meal. Darcy and the young man, whose name was apparently Ian, scarfed down their food.

"So," Darcy began between mouth fulls, "what is this place?"

"This is the Sanctum Sanctorum," Master Daniel replied, "a home for those who have opened their minds."

"I've got a pretty open mind." The brunette commented, "So what's that mean for me?"

Master Daniel smiled, "While you are welcome here, it would take much more than your current state to call the Sanctum home."

"What, are there tests I need to do or something?"

"Something like that." The master sorcerer looked amused and motioned for the meal to be taken away. He stood from his seat then, "I have someone I'd like you to see. You might be able to help him in his road to recovery."

"Did you find a way to remove the remnant?" Diana asked.

"The Ancient One has provided me with a research text by Agamotto and his knowledge of the Stone he had."

"The Ancient One? Agamotto?" Darcy repeated the words she'd just heard, confused, "What's going on?"

"Come." Master Daniel motioned for everyone to follow him.

He led them to one of the meditation rooms where Doctor Selvig was seated on the floor with papers strewn about him.

"Erik!" Darcy exclaimed and made to rush toward him. Master Daniel held her back, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"The good doctor gets very annoyed if you step on his research." The master sorcerer let go of her arm, and Darcy made no move to approach her mentor again. "Doctor Selvig. You have visitors."

"Visitors?" Selvig turned his head. When he saw Darcy, he smiled, stood, and walked over his own research toward them, "Darcy." He hugged her, "I didn't know you were coming here."

"Well, neither did I. Where have you been? We've been trying to get a hold of you since forever!"

Selvig frowned, "I haven't been well, Darcy. Whatever Loki did to me last year… it's still there." He tapped his temple, "These people have been trying to find a way to get rid of it."

"How?"

"We have ways of entering and cleaning the mind of outside influences." Master Daniel explained vaguely.

Darcy just looked more confused, "That doesn't explain anything."

Master Daniel smiled mysteriously, "You could, of course, watch the procedure, although I think you might find it quite boring."

"I just want to know what's going on here."

"Then you should follow us." The master sorcerer strode down a hallway to one of the meditation rooms. He turned to see everyone behind him, and he nodded, pleased, "Doctor Selvig, if you would please lie on the mat, we'll get started." Selvig did as he was told and Master Daniel turned to Diana, "I may need your help again, but you will not engage with the guardian. Don't look at it. Don't speak to it. It will feed off your strength due to your knowledge and use it against me when I try to banish it."

"Alright." She said as she and her teacher knelt on either side of Doctor Selvig.

"Are you ready?"

Diana held her hands over the doctor's head, "Yeah."

Master Daniel murmured some strange words and made a few hand gestures before there was a white flash.

*FMttM*

When Diana opened her eyes, she was back in Doctor Selvig's mindscape. Beside her stood Master Daniel looking quite solemn.

"This will be difficult, Diana. I will need to take some of your magic."

"I just want to get rid of the Mind Stone remnant. Having a sane astrophysicist will help much more when Malekith gets here."

"Hmmm…" Master Daniel didn't comment on the strange name as he looked into the distance, his eyes searching. "Follow my lead; the remnant already knows we're here. It will use tricks and illusions to make us leave."

"I'll be careful." Diana promised as Master Daniel led her through the more organized mind.

"Doctor Selvig has taken to meditation. It's helped organize his thoughts." The master sorcerer informed her, "It's also made him not only more productive, but more resistant to the insanity induced by the Mind Stone remnant."

Suddenly a shot sounded and missed the two of them by inches. Master Daniel frowned and prepared some magic, "This I haven't encountered before."

"I thought Loki was the only remnant."

"It tends to change depending on who is in the mind."

"Crap."

There was another shot, and Master Daniel blocked it with a Tao Mandala. A dark form stood from high above them on some sort of building. The form simply stepped off, landing on the ground with his metal arm digging into the mindscape.

"Let me handle this." Master Daniel directed as he prepared his own magic.

"It's…" Diana knew exactly who it was and where the image had come from. The Mind Stone had taken her knowledge of the Soldier, knowing she'd be unable to hurt someone whom she knew was Bucky.

"Quiet," The master sorcerer swirled with magic as the Mindscape Winter Soldier approached them, "I must concentrate. I haven't had to fight one of these illusions before."

"But…"

Master Daniel sent a stern glare her way as he prepared to fight the master assassin. Diana couldn't watch, so she turned slightly away as she heard the fist fight. A few moments of battle passed and a memory came to her mind… a code trigger words that she remembered from an article for the third Captain America movie. Sputnik. The code trigger word 'Sputnik' called for a complete shutdown, like turning off a computer or robot. It would render the Winter Soldier completely unconscious. However, that was from the comics only, and Diana had no idea whether it would work in this universe based on the movies.

Her gaze turned to the fight, and she could see that the Soldier was winning. His armor, goggles and mask hadn't even gotten a dent, "Sorry Buck." She muttered before saying, "Sputnik." The Mindscape Soldier froze, his head turning in her direction, as if the Mind Stone remnant was reading the rules for the Winter Soldier, "SPUTNIK!" She shouted. Then the illusion collapsed and dissipated.

Master Daniel stood there looking quite wounded, but with a simple wave of his hand, the cuts and bruises vanished. He then turned to stare at his apprentice, "You knew who that was."

"That was the Winter Soldier."

"Go on."

"Um… he's… it's HYDRA's most efficient master assassin. I remembered one of his codes, the one to shut him down until someone can reset him with the correct ten Russian codes."

"Hmmm…" Master Daniel frowned.

"Sorry." Diana apologized.

"Don't be sorry. You saved my mind from being shredded. I'm glad I had you come with me. That reminds me that I should teach you to guard your own mind against intrusion and illusion."

"That sounds like a good idea."

As they went deeper into Doctor Selvig's mind, they also fought off a dark Daredevil and a HYDRA version of Captain America. Those two didn't have shut down rules like the Winter Soldier had, so Master Daniel had to fight them and 'kill' the illusions. By the time they actually reached the pedestal with the Mind Stone remnant, Diana felt like she'd been stabbed several times. The last line of defense was, again, Loki.

"Well, it seems you've gotten past all of the obstacles I set for you. Impressive." The final illusion crossed his arms and looked at Diana, "I'm surprised that you allowed your companion to kill the people you love most."

Diana grit her teeth so she wouldn't speak to the guardian. Master Daniel stepped in front of her, "I don't believe she'll have a problem with me killing you. After all, you did destroy New York City."

Mindscape Loki's eyes narrowed and a sceptre appeared in his hands, "You may have defeated my slaves, but you will not defeat me." Instantly, more Loki silhouettes appeared around them, laughing.

Master Drumm activated his magical weapons, the Bolts of Balthakk, which was appropriate as they looked like lightning blades or hammers. Several Loki silhouettes charged at the master sorcerer, and it was impossible to figure out which one was the real guardian image.

Diana could see that her teacher was losing, and couldn't stay out of the fight any longer. She gathered her magic and used the Eldritch Whip to take down the Loki silhouette that was nearest to her. She then struck it repeatedly until it vanished, "That was for New York." She sneered at the space where the silhouette had been and echoing Jane's actual words to the real Loki on Asgard.

"You must stay out of this!" Master Daniel called from his fight with one of the Lokis.

"No chance, and no way!" She shouted back as she brought the Eldritch Whip around and struck another Loki silhouette in the side.

He revealed a pair of daggers and rushed her, causing her to vanish her whips and activate her bracelets containing the additional physical strength of her teacher. When she blocked the silhouette's first strike, he seemed surprised by her strength and she threw him back a couple feet.

Diana prepared a defensive stance Matt had taught her and waited for the silhouette to attack again.

"I'm surprised that you're finally fighting. I would've thought you would save your master much sooner than this… perhaps with the Captain or the Lawyer… or even earlier with your Soldier, you only said a word and that was disappointing." The Loki silhouette taunted her, "But it seems you're just useless enough to spend the last of your energy fighting and dying against me."

"You know, you talk too much. I guess it's a villain trait." Diana shot back as she activated her Eldritch Whip just in time to land a punch to the Loki silhouette's chest. Instead of seeing the silhouette stumbling back from the blow, her punch buried itself into his chest. She felt like she was gripping something in her hand and she watched as Mind-Loki's eyes widened.

"That's not possible. That sort of magic doesn't exist here!" He gasped as she ripped out her hand, still gripping whatever she'd found in his chest.

Diana stared down at a glowing red heart with wisps of black and blue swirling through it. She gaped in surprise. "This is…"

"Give that back!" Mind-Loki snarled and lunged at her.

"Stop!" She commanded. The heart pulsed brightly and Mind-Loki froze. Diana sucked in a breath, "Enchanted Forest magic." All of the other silhouettes vanished and the real Mind-Loki guardian stood before the two sorcerers, still, motionless, unable to move against Diana's command. "How did you get this magic from my mind?"

The guardian looked furious as his mouth moved without his permission and told the truth, "I delved far too deep to find guardian slaves and unleashed this… other magic in the mindscape. Had I known its deep connections to this world… your Soldier, Fandral… I wouldn't have looked farther, but that Curse." Loki licked his lips, "That Dark Curse was quite tantalizing. I could've changed everything using that Curse! And I wouldn't even need the Reality Stone to do it!"

Master Drumm approached, "Diana? What's going on?" He saw the heart in her hand, "That is not good magic."

She cringed, "No, it's not. I didn't even realize I'd done it until I pulled it out."

"Explain."

She gave a quick summary of magic and sorcery from the _Once Upon a Time_ television series, "This is the favorite enchantment for the Dark One, the Evil Queen, the Queen of Hearts, and other sorcerers to gain control of people and sometimes, if they squeeze hard enough, to kill them. Although light magic practitioners can perform it too, it just… it gives you an icky feeling, like I'm feeling now."

"You have complete control over the guardian with this magic?"

"Yes."

The master sorcerer pursed his lips and looked at the guardian, "Will this influx of magic in this mindscape affect the real world?"

Mind-Loki looked miffed, "I'm a Mind Stone guardian. I can't change reality outside of the mind. I leave that up to the Reality Stone."

Master Daniel turned back to Diana, "You will not speak of performing this magic to anyone once we exit Doctor Selvig's mind. There are those who would want to create spells and enchantments to make this real."

"I agree. Luckily, it's origins don't exist in this universe because the TV show doesn't exist here either."

"Hmm…" The master sorcerer nodded in approval and turned towards the pedestal. He raised his hands and began to chant. Spells flew at the stone atop it and soon the entire world began to pulse blue-black-blue-black.

Then everything shattered.

*FMttM*

Diana woke up in her own bed. What the hell had happened? She flexed her hand, remembering the feel of the Mind-Loki's heart in her hand. She shuddered, glad it hadn't been real. As she moved to sit up, her head throbbed and she let out a hiss before falling back against her pillow. Suddenly she wished that JARVIS was around. He would've alerted Steve or any of the other Avengers about her massive migraine. Or Matt. He would've come by to give her some advil and just keep her company.

There was a soft knock on her door, "Yeah?" She answered, but refused to move her head from the pillow.

Master Daniel opened the door slightly, "I'm so glad you've woken up. I was starting to get worried that the Mind Stone remnant had latched onto you and…" He looked a bit guilty, "I am so sorry I put you in danger, but I couldn't have done it without you. You did so well."

"I just have a massive headache, that's all."

Master Daniel approached, "I may be able to do something about that." She nodded, giving permission for him to continue. So he knelt next to her bed and placed a warm hand on her forehead. He murmured his spells and made his gestures with his free hand before pressing his fingers against his knuckles on her head.

Diana felt the buzzing influx of magic and the headache seemed to melt away, "Oh, that's so much better." She told him with a relieved sigh.

"I'm glad."

"How's Doctor Selvig?" Diana sat up and rubbed her temple.

"You've been unconscious for two days. Doctor Selvig woke a day ago." Master Daniel looked amused, "I believe the young woman, Miss Lewis, threatened to tase me so hard that my children's children would feel it if Doctor Selvig didn't wake up."

"Is he… better?"

"Very much so. I don't think he'll be streaking anywhere any time soon."

"Good. What about the Convergence?"

"It's over."

"Over!? You mean I missed it?!"

"It's perhaps better this way. Neither of us would have been much help in the battle."

"And I bet Thor has already left."

"I believe he has."

"Dammit. I needed to tell him that Loki was still alive and masquerading as Odin for fun." She sighed, "Loki sent him to some kind of senior citizen home in New York… I think… It was never really that clear where they actually were."

"If you feel well enough, we do need to make sure that all the portals are closed and assess the damages."

"Okay. I'll be out in a few minutes."

"I'll have a meal ready." Master Daniel then left her room.


	11. Agents of SHIELD: The Well

A new chapter that integrates the Agents of SHIELD TV show because Coulson is awesome, and this mission, "The Well" involves a bit of magic. Also I'm being mean by drawing out the reappearance of Bucky. Don't worry, he'll show up soon!

I hope everyone enjoys the first half of the episode.

Read and review!

*FMttM*

Master Daniel assigned Diana to look at the damages done to the University where the Dark Elf ship had crashed while he went to find whether the portals that crisscrossed the Ley Lines had completely closed. She took a Sling portal to the site and saw that quite a few SHIELD agents were starting to gather materials from the wreckage. Diana shifted uncomfortably, knowing that some of these agents could easily be HYDRA. Her hand went to her locket and squeezed.

She was noticed fairly quickly, and an agent she recognized as Coulson approached her with two women, one on either side, "Agent Coulson, nice to see you alive and well."

"Miss Larson," Coulson called to her, "I didn't know you'd be here."

Diana glanced at the two women before replying, "I've actually been here for a few days. The portals and the Convergence caught my interest."

Coulson nodded and turned motioned to each woman, "This is Agent Melinda May." On his right, the Chinese woman's eyes narrowed. Then he motioned to the young woman on his left, "And this is Skye."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Diana Larson."

"She's the Avenger known as Shieldmaiden." Coulson explained to his agents.

Skye's eyes went wide, "Shieldmaiden?! I've been looking for you everywhere! I haven't been able to find much of anything on you online!"

"I try to make a small splash. If you couldn't find anything much on me, that's a good thing." Diana told Skye.

"But why? You don't look much older than me. How could there be nothing about you on the Internet?"

"You'd be surprised."

Then from not far away, a new voice called out, "Agent Coulson!" A man came jogging toward them, holding a cell phone and looking pretty worried, "I just got a call about something that happened up in the Trillemarka National Park in Norway. It's -" The agent paused, "Who's this?"

"Agent Ward, this is Diana Larson or Shieldmaiden of the Avengers."

"I hadn't heard that the rest of the Avengers knew about this." Ward frowned.

"It came as a surprise to me as well, but any help we can get is help wanted."

"What's her security clearance?" Ward asked cautiously.

Coulson frowned for a moment, perhaps trying to make up his mind about what clearance level she should be given through SHIELD, "High enough." He answered vaguely, "Now what's this about Norway?"

Ward's eyes darted to Diana and then back to Coulson before giving his report, "Some rangers in the Trillemarka National Park in Norway found something odd. Then they were attacked by two people, a man and a woman with amazing strength. The rangers barely made it out of there alive, and one of them is in the hospital with a broken sternum and ribs." He held out the phone, "They'd dug something out of a tree." The picture on the phone showed an indent in the wood that looked completely unnatural, "They took something from that tree."

Coulson examined the picture intently, "Well then, I guess we should pack up and head to Norway."

"Yes sir." Ward nodded and, with May and Sky, headed back in the direction he came.

Coulson turned to Diana, "Our equipment has indicated that all the portals have closed and everything is stable now. If that's any consolation."

She nodded, "This thing that these people found…" Diana started, "What're you thinking?"

The agent frowned, "I don't know what to make of it yet, but I do have a gut feeling that you might like to come along and see for yourself."

"Yeah, I'd like to tag along. This artifact could be something that belongs to my area of expertise."

"And what area is that?" Coulson asked bluntly.

Diana grinned, "You know, everyone wants a magical solution to all their problems but everyone refuses to believe in magic. So, Agent Phil Coulson, do you believe in magic?"

"After everything I've seen?" He looked thoughtful, "I guess magic is just science we don't understand yet, so yes, I'd say I believe in magic." Then he gave her a shrewd look, "Are you saying you practice magic?"

"Don't tell anyone." She put a finger to her lips to try, and fail, to hide her mischievous smile.

"I trust my team with my life."

"I know you do, but in all seriousness, let me reveal my magic. If it doesn't come up, then it won't matter"

There was a beat before Coulson nodded in approval, "I admire your caution. I think you'll make a good addition to the team on this mission."

*FMttM*

The Bus, as the Agents called it, was huge. It was a two story plane complete with a science lab and quarters for the agents.

"So…" Agent Ward approached Diana as she sat reading a debriefing on the events in Greenwich, "you're an Avenger."

The blonde looked up and frowned at Ward, "Yes."

"How'd that happen?" He asked, "I mean, all the others have powers or training or tech. You don't look like much."

"Looks can be deceiving, Agent Ward." She answered as she looked back down at the papers, "Dammit Malekith, why'd you have to demolish centuries old architecture?"

"There's gotta be something you did to earn the name Shieldmaiden. What, did you steal and use Captain America's shield?"

Diana flipped the debriefing closed, "No, Agent Ward. I didn't steal his shield. I have my own shields. Excuse me." She made her way to Skye, who was listening to music on her laptop.

The young woman noticed her approach and took out her earbuds, "Hey, what's up… uh…" Skye hesitated, not knowing what to call the addition to their team.

"Diana." The blonde smiled.

Skye grinned, "Okay, Diana, what's up?"

"Do you happen to have data on your computer about the number of portals that opened during the Convergence?"

"Umm… I hadn't thought to run a program yet, but based on the weird energy spikes we'd picked up during those days, I'd say a ton. I'd have to look back, though to get an estimation."

"And… Thor's enemy… did you ever find out who or what it was?"

"Thor was already gone by then, which is a bummer because he's dreamy!" Skye suddenly blushed, "Please don't tell him I said that!"

Diana couldn't help but laugh a little, "He won't hear it from me. But when it comes to the bad guys, I can help if you want to put that info somewhere."

"Oh... Uh… why come to me? Agent Ward makes changes to briefings all the time. I'm not even an official SHIELD Agent."

The blonde shrugged, "I don't know. I don't trust SHIELD very much, minus a very select few. So, since you're not yet part of SHIELD, I thought I'd give you a leg up by giving you the information."

"Okay. Shoot." She'd pulled up a file that had the debriefing on it.

"Thor was fighting a race known as the Dark Elves."

"Are we talking Tolkien elves or Harry Potter elves?"

"Closer to Tolkien, but much more evil and much less pretty. More comparable to Romulans from _Star Trek_ , I guess" Diana gave a half smile, "Anyway, these Dark Elves had fought Asgardians before ages and ages ago, and the only ones left, as far as anyone knows, were the ones that attacked during the Convergence. They sacked Asgard. They killed the Queen - Thor's mother - and set their sights on an artifact known as the Aether."

"What's that?" Skye asked as she typed up all this information.

"From what I know, the leader of the Dark Elves, called Malekith, sought the Aether so that he could bring darkness to all the realms - hence Dark Elves. He got it and almost succeeded in his plan if it hadn't been for Thor and Jane with her scientist friends."

"Wow… I never realized we were that close to annihilation." The brunette marveled over the new information.

"Yeah. So… Thor returned to Asgard to grieve for the loss of his mother and brother, but will be returning soon to Earth to help the other Avengers protect it."

"Wait… his brother's dead too?" Skye's eyebrows went up.

Diana's lips thinned, "That's what I was told. Then again… he is the trickster, so… who knows for sure." She knew he wasn't, but considering she'd not been on Asgard when Loki had faked his death, there was no realistic way of her knowing what had happened. Explaining her convoluted history would just complicate matters way too much.

"Well, if he's dead, good riddance." Skye typed in that information as well with very harsh keystrokes, "So where's this Aether thing now? Did it get destroyed when Malachite died?""

The blonde ignored the mispronunciation of Malekith's name, because really, who cared? She answered Skye's question to the best of her ability, "Thor took it with him. I believe he said something about being protected by a collector, but I don't know what that means." Diana lied a little. She knew who The Collector was - a very, very powerful being of the Elder Race.

*FMttM*

It took about two hours to fly from London to Oslo and another two to drive to Trillemarka National Forest. It was another half hour before they got to the designated location where the incident had taken place. Diana had never missed using her Sling ring more than the long, awkward and boring plane, jeep, and hiking journey. Sure she could've used it, but that would be revealing a skill in front of someone who would immediately tell terrible people. Not. Good. But sooooooo boring.

When they finally arrived at their destination, the agents cased the location before Ward and Jemma Simmons took point and approached the tree where the artifact had been embedded. Simmons took initiative and climbed up the tree to cut out the sample of wood from where the artifact had been pulled.

It was pretty obvious that Simmons was scared of falling from the tree, despite the harness she wore, and Ward was getting annoyed at the slow pace, "I can climb it if you want. Just talk me through what to do with the…doodads." Simmons glared down at him, "Yeah, it's only about 15 feet."

Diana shifted in her position so that if Simmons fell from the tree, Diana could catch her. She flicked her wrists and activated her bracelets. Who was the last person whose skin she'd touched anyway? She couldn't remember, but it didn't matter. Their strength was added to hers, and it was better than her strength alone when it came to catching someone.

"I'll be fine. I'm – I'm just a bit more wary about the height thing since falling to certain death."

"You're afraid." Ward was so good at stating the obvious, and that caused Simmons to glare at him. He backpedaled a little, "Hmm? Shaken up? It's normal. But some feelings will take over if you dwell on them." Diana wished he'd just shut up. She wished she could reveal that he was HYDRA and then blow the entire Triskelion helicarrier plot, but then where would that leave Bucky? So, she kept quiet and grit her teeth as Ward continued, "Especially fear. Now, keep your eyes ahead, focus on what you like to do best."

"Yep. Not falling." Simmons glowered at Ward before continuing her walk toward the indent in the tree.

"No, research. You're a scientist; you like to figure things out."

"Yes, with my doodads." She was getting annoyed now.

"I'm curious." Ward pondered, causing Simmons to stop - again - to look at him. He put a finger to his lips to accentuate his pondering, "Whatever was up in these trees had to be there for centuries, right?"

Simmons nodded, "At least a millennium. Radiocarbon-14 dates some of these trees at 9,000 years old."

"That would make it around the last time the Asgardians were on Earth fighting the Frost Giants." Diana put in her two cents.

Both turned to look at her and Simmons nodded, "Yes, that sounds about right. Although I'd have to check the dendrochronology first to know for certain if this tree is one of them. Still," She began walking again toward the indent as she spoke, "the Norway Spruce is a rather fast growing coniferous, and I know you're trying to trick me into going up, but I'm going up anyway. So…"

"We'll catch you if you fall," Diana assured her,."or at least I will. I don't know about Agent Ward.."

"Of course I'll catch her!" Ward looked affronted.

Diana gave him a side glance, "You're loyalties are solid, I hope."

"Of course they are!" He glared, "Look, I don't know what your problem is, lady, and I know you're an Avenger and all, but you've disliked me from the get-go. So what gives, huh?"

"Now is not the time to air your grievances. I'd rather have you both paying attention to what's important right now!" Simmons scolded.

The blonde woman decided to give Ward an inch, "I apologize, Agent Ward. I've had a really bad week, and I suppose since I didn't get to fight the Dark Elves that caused my bad week, I took it out on you."

Ward gave her a side glance and a frown, "Okay, I guess. Apology accepted."

Simmons stopped suddenly and wobbled. Diana tensed, ready to catch her only to see her slowly and purposefully go to one hand and knees on the tree, cradling her tablet in the other, "Now this is what we came here for." She held the tablet up over the indent in the tree and took a few pictures. She then shifted so that she was straddling the trunk and started using her stylus to do her thing.

After a few moments the program she was using on the tablet began to beep.

The brunette scientist's eyes went wide, "Oh, um, whatever was in here was definitely not from this world." She then reached up to her ear with her freehand, "Fitz, you getting this? It's not Chitauri, is it?"

There was a pause as she listened to her fellow scientist. Diana watched as Simmons' eyes grew slowly wider and glanced at Ward who was looking increasingly concerned.

Then Simmons made a reply, "I can see an imprint of what was embedded." She shifted again and retrieved another device from the bag she carried. This piece of tech emitted a scanning laser into the wood, "Scanning for three-dimensional restoration. Tell me when."

There was another brief pause before Simmons nodded and packed away the laser scanner and her tablet. She then started to climb down the tree.

"So? What's the verdict?" Ward asked as he watched her climb down.

"The artifact," Simmons responded as she climbed, "is Asgardian in nature. Most likely a rod or piece of a staff. Fitz will have a 3D model ready for us when we get back to the Bus."

Ward nodded and turned to Diana, "Did Thor say anything about a rod or staff of some sort being lost to… what does he call this place…? Midgard?"

"I haven't actually talked to Thor that much. We've exchanged a few words, but never had a full, real conversation about anything meaningful… or not meaningful." She answered.

"Right." Ward looked a little disappointed. He'd probably hoped that, as an Avenger, she'd be privy to all kinds of knowledge. Well, she was, just not the knowledge he was hoping for.

Diana knew that Coulson's group of SHIELD agents had gone on many adventures, gathering artifacts like they were Indiana Jones or Lara Croft or Nathan Drake, but she would never be able to remember all the details of every single excursion. She'd always concentrated much more on the movies, only remembering the TV shows most important plot points. Hmmm… Maybe she should mention The Hand to Ward. HYDRA definitely wouldn't be happy with another group trying to usurp their position as the world dominators. Maybe they'd destroy each other and the Avengers and the Defenders and the Guardians could concentrate on only fighting Thanos and whoever else decided to attack Earth from above or below or from an alternate dimension.

Once Simmons made it down the tree, the three of them started heading back towards the Bus and soon met up with Coulson. After a short time, Coulson stopped in his tracks and took out his phone. His eyes widened and he turned to his team.

"What's going on?" Simmons asked.

Coulson turned to them and showed them a news broadcast on his phone.

A female reporter was speaking, "The rioting has left twenty injured, three in critical condition. Reports indicate that the group of about a dozen was led by this man and woman." The report showed close up shots of the man and woman who had been surveying the crowd in the previous shot, "And although their motive was unclear, they message was hauntingly spelled out on the streets of Oslo."

The three of them, exchanged worried and concerned looks before turning back to the TV to see what the culprits had left. There was an aerial shot of the message which said, "WE ARE GODS".

Diana scoffed, "They get one weapon of mystical power and they think they're gods. Not even the gods are gods."

"It doesn't matter what we think. Those people have hurt others," Ward said, "and we're gonna stop them."

Coulson nodded in agreement and pressed his earpiece, "We need to find out who those two are before they hurt anyone else."

*FMttM*

By the time they arrived at the lab, Agent Leo Fitz had pulled up the data on the two culprits that Skye had probably found as they were trekking back to the plane.

"Jakob Nystrom, 30. Girlfriend, Petra Larson. Leaders of a Norse Paganist hate group." Ward began the briefing.

"Ironic." Diana commented.

"And their numbers are growing thanks to what happened in Greenwich and thanks to the internet." Skye then added, "Yay, internet, she said sarcastically."

Simmons looked thoughtful, "Norse Paganist?"

"Obsessed with anything derived from Norse mythology, stories of Asgard." Skye explained.

Ward then picked up the 3-D printed model of the rod made from the tree indentation Simmons had found, "And now a weapon."

The two scientists, Fitz and Jemma Simmons, took a closer look at the rod as Ward held it. Fitz spoke first, "The scan accounted for only one side. Too much damage to the tree for a complete reproduction."

Then Simmons, "But, see here, it's clearly broken on both ends."

Ward groaned, "So there are more pieces?"

"Yeah, two at least." Fitz nodded.

"That would make it more of a fighting staff than a club, wouldn't it?" Diana looked closer at the rod, trying to remember which artifact it was, but none were coming to mind.

"Perhaps." Simmons looked closer at the rod, "It really depends on how long the other pieces are. If they're about the same length, then yes. It would be used as a staff for fighting."

"Which means Sid and Nancy may be looking for a complete set." Ward concluded as Coulson and Agent May walked in. Ward continued with a question to the scientists, "What about these markings?"

It was Coulson who answered, "Asgardian symbolism. Hard to translate with our limited knowledge." He took the rod to examine it himself.

"One of you should give your buddy the God of Thunder a shout." Skye suggested to Coulson and Diana, "He gets his powers from his hammer, right? What if this is his nail to the hammer?" She joked.

"I already did." Coulson replied, "Director Fury told me he's off the grid. If he has a cellphone, we don't have the number or he'd be out of satellite range when he's not on Earth. Furthermore if what Miss Larson has said is correct about the loss of his mother and brother, I think disturbing Thor again might be considered a bit rude in his time of mourning."

"SHIELD's investigations are on the trail of Nystrom and his followers." May added.

"So, we're charged with identifying the object and finding any other pieces before they do."

Ward frowned, "They seem to have some advantage. They found this thing in 150 square kilometers of Norwegian forest."

"Guys, what if it called to them with magic?" Skye asked.

The other agents stared at her incredulously. Before anyone could speak, Diana decided to give Skye some support for her theory, "It's possible, although magic here on Earth doesn't usually work like that. I don't know about Asgardian magic, though."

Skye grinned, "Yeah, if it is Asgardian magic we know the rules are a little bendy here."

The agents' attention darted back and forth between Diana and Skye, and they looked uncomfortable at the mention of magic.

"Just because we don't understand something yet doesn't mean we should regress back to the Dark Ages, talking of magic and fairy tales." Simmons admonished.

Diana sighed in annoyance. Well, keeping her magic hidden didn't last long, "You should believe in magic. It'll be important in the future. Let me show you." She made a few of the more showy hand gestures to create an intricate floating Tao Mandala. The agents stared and gawked. Coulson just looked on placidly, although his eyes showed his interest. Diana made a few more gestures and the floating Tao Mandala changed shape, "This is Earth's magic - usually called Eldritch magic. Some of you were wondering what I could possibly bring to the Avengers. Well, this is it. This is the stuff my shields are made of."

Simmons stuttered, "How-how is that possible?" She hesitantly approached and reached out to touch the energy and when her fingers touched the golden lines, they sparked. Startled, she withdrew her hand to stare at her fingers, "It didn't hurt, and it wasn't even hot." Simmons looked at Diana in awe and fascination, "This changes everything! Where did you get this power? Is it natural? Is it tech? Is it a chemical?"

"None of the above. I was taught how to do this." Diana swished her hand. Well, now HYDRA would know about some of her skills. Oh well. They would've found out sooner or later anyway. Perhaps they even already knew about magic since their algorithm had targeted… would target Doctor Stephen Strange, the future Sorcerer Supreme who was currently an arrogant git of a neurosurgeon with no knowledge of magic.

"You can save your questions for later." Coulson told his team, "For now, we have to concentrate on finding these people." He looked down at the rod in his hand, "When we first found the hammer in New Mexico I consulted one of the world's leading experts on Norse mythology: Elliot Randolph, a professor at a University in Seville. We'll leave immediately. Maybe he can tell us more about these markings."

*FMttM*

It was a little over a four hour flight from Oslo to Seville. During that time, Diana spent most of the flight in the lab being bombarded with questions about magic. She answered them to the best of her ability and with caution. She refused to tell them where she'd learned her magic as well as give the names of who taught her magic. Diana even showed them her Tao Mandala shields and the Eldritch whips as examples of magic. She didn't show them her Sling Ring or her bracelets. She wanted to keep some secrets to herself.

Just before landing, Diana had finally given the scientists enough data and information to play with and she was allowed to leave the lab. As she exited, she almost ran into Coulson, "I hope they weren't too enthusiastic." He looked a tiny bit apologetic.

"It's not everyday you discover there's a new source of energy out there." Diana shrugged.

"Considering you were so secretive when you met with Director Fury, I'm a bit surprised you were so open with my team."

She thought about this before replying, "I trust most of your team with my secrets. It's time I put myself more out in the open."

Coulson's eyebrows went up, "Why now?"

"Change is coming, Agent Coulson. A big upheaval that will rock SHIELD and the world."

"Oh?"

She smirked, deciding to be cryptic, "Winter shall come and cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war! A scarlet witch and a quicksilver speedster shall try to avenge what they've lost. And the guardians of the galaxy will arrive with a tree and a raccoon… because why not? And yet, the father of the Starlord will try make everything his. The world of insects shall become more important than anyone could possibly imagine. And the panther shall prowl into fray seeking vengeance with the itsy bitsy spider getting his first taste of single combat against a vulture. And the hand shall bring the immortal highlander ninja to battle against the defenders. And then Hel shall break loose and bring about the end of days for those who still fight before the mad titan claims the stones of infinity and brings about a new era."

"That's quite a lot to unpack."

"It is. That's why I need people I can trust and be open with." Diana explained, "Steve knows everything."

"I appreciate that you've chosen to trust us." Coulson told her with a small smile, "Even if it is just a little bit and your information is coded."

"Yeah, well, I have enemies too, you know. I can't just say what I know outright."

"Understandable," the Agent nodded, "although I did have an actual reason for coming back here." He poked his head into the lab, "We'll be landing in -" He paused to check his watch, "ten minutes. Simmons, you're with me when we go talk to the Professor."

"Alright." Simmons answered.

Coulson turned around and sent Diana another smile, "You'll have to show me some more magic sometime. It's not like anything I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot."

The blonde smiled back, "We'll see. I don't know how much down time we'll have."

With a nod of acknowledgement, Coulson walked back down the hall and around a corner to prepare for landing the Bus.

*FMttM*

When Coulson and Simmons returned, they informed everyone that they were apparently searching for the Berserker Staff, an Asgardian weapon that unleashes an adrenaline rush and a burst of super strength fueled by the wielder's rage and hate. Despite knowing where they needed to go next, Coulson wanted to surveil Professor Elliot Randolph because the Agent thought the professor was hiding something having to do with the Berserker Staff. So, Coulson and his team plus Diana - switching every few hours - watched his home all night.

They received an update on the search for the staff pieces at Baffin Island in Canada only to find out that there were no pieces there. After a briefing on the possible other locations of the staff, May was the one to bring the intel that there may be a piece of the staff hidden right there in Seville in the crypts of the church called El Divino Niño.

So, Diana, Ward and Skye travelled to an 8th century crypt under a church to double check the lead.

"So, there's three of us. Who wants to take the hallway and who wants to take the dungeon-looking place?" Ward asked.

"I'm going wherever Diana goes." Skye stepped closer to the Avenger.

"Okay, then hallway or dungeon?" Ward asked again, but this time directed the question more at Diana.

She thought about it for a moment, looking at her options, "Dungeon."

"Right." Agent Ward scowled slightly and waved his flashlight in the direction of the dungeon, "If you find something, let us know on the earpiece."

They split up and used their tablets and scanners to find any evidence of the Berserker Staff based on the readings Simmons had found in the tree.

"Well, this place isn't creepy at all." Skye commented as their flashlights cast shadows and spidery patterns through the cobwebs.

"I've seen worse." Diana replied, thinking of some of her experiences as a nurse during WWII. The morgue in particular could get really creepy at night and it didn't even have the ancient decor and cobwebs.

"Just because you've seen worse, doesn't make this place any less creepy."

"Point."

Skye glanced down at her tablet and scowled, "I got nothing."

"Then we'll have to go deeper."

They walked in silence for a little bit before Skye spoke again, "So, do you live at Avengers Tower or do you have your own place?"

"My own place."

"Yeah? Where?"

"Hell's Kitchen."

Skye suddenly had a weird expression on her face, "Hell's Kitchen? Why'd you want to live there? Granted, I once knew a kid from Hell's Kitchen. He was nice, but quiet. He got teased and bullied a lot because he was blind and his parents were dead. I don't really know what happened to him."

That made Diana stop in her tracks. That just sounded too much like Matt. She had to check, "Do you remember his name?"

The brunette paused to think, putting a finger up to her lips, "You know, I only knew him for a couple days. He'd come back from… wherever, and then I left, so… But I think his name was Mark? No. Matt. Yeah, that's his name."

"Matt Murdock?" Diana had to make doubly sure she was hearing this right. Because really, how many blind Matts from Hell's Kitchen could there be out in the world?

Skye's eyes widened, "You know Matt? What's he doing nowadays? How's he doing?"

"Matt lives in the flat above mine." Diana answered, "He actually went to Columbia and became a lawyer."

"A lawyer! That's awesome! Better than what I did with my life up until now."

"He's doing pretty well. His BFF is awesome too."

"When this mission is over, think you can reintroduce us?"

"Sure."

"Sweet."

A voice came over their earpieces, "How you doing, Agent Ward?" Coulson's voice intoned.

"Wishing I was shorter," Came Ward's reply, "but nothing yet. All my readings are normal."

"Any luck with you, Skye? Diana?"

Skye touched her earpiece, "We've only found a creepy dungeon full of cobwebs, so we've got nothing. Absolutely nada. Sorry."

Then Fitz's voice registered on the earpiece, "Ward, your spectrograph is reading something near you."

"I don't see anything."

"Well, it's right in front of you. Oh, wait. No. Uh, okay, hold on. It's moving – northwest."

"Visual contact." His voice was tense. Something was wrong.

Skye and Diana glanced at each other before taking off in the direction of the hallway.

Fitz's voice crackled in their earpieces again, "Ward, turn left."

A moment later, Ward's voice came over the earpieces, "Ran into some unexpected -" His voice suddenly cut off.

There was silence as Diana and Skye enter the hallway. They're both just short enough to only have to hunch slightly to keep their speed.

"No, no, no." Skye muttered as they ran.

On the earpieces they heard Coulson's concerned voice, "Ward, what's happening?" Then, "Skye can you get -"

"Already on it." She touched the earpiece. The two of them rounded a corner, "Ward!"

He was slumped on the ground, eyes unfocused. Skye reached out and touched his shoulder, and he suddenly gasped and scrambled away from her, seemingly frightened.

"Hey, hey, hey. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Grant, calm down. Calm down, please." She tried to calm him down.

Diana gave him a quick once over for injuries as he panted, "He's okay, physically. No injuries that I can see." She shined her flashlight into his face and his pupils were constricted to tiny pin pricks, smaller than they should have been with the light available. Diana cast the light away and touched her earpiece, "I think something messed with his mind, though. His eyes are unnaturally constricted."

Once his breathing slowed he informed everyone, "The staff. He has it." He was still shaking a little.

Skye frowned, "Yeah, something's wrong with Ward." She pressed her earpiece, "And the staff's gone. Someone has it."

"Who?" Diana asked as she took out her Sling Ring. She'd stopped caring about the HYDRA/Ward connection when people started getting hurt in front of her. It's not like they could get access to the Sling rings. Even if they did, they'd have no idea how they worked.

Ward blinked at her before replying, "Elliot Randolph."

Diana simply nodded and slipped the ring on her fingers. Skye stared, confused, "What're you doing?"

"Getting us out of here and maybe even catching Randolph." Diana replied as she created a portal directly to the outside of the at the graveyard gates. She stepped through confidently and looked around for other people. That's when she saw him, "Hey, stop!"

"What-" She heard Skye behind her and assumed she had brought Ward with her.

After swiping her hand to close the portal, she glanced back at the brunette woman, "Stay here."

Diana ran after the professor, who had vanished from her sight around the corner of the church. This just wasn't her day or night as the case may be. As she followed she saw a group of people approaching Randolph. One seemed to focus on the man's bag - probably where the staff piece was - intently. When they passed, paused, and then turned to follow the professor, she knew it had to be those criminals who'd collected the piece from Norway. This was going to be trouble. Her fingers crackled with a prepared Eldritch Whip in one hand and a shield in the other.

"I have one too." She heard the leader of the group, Jakob, say once she caught up to them in a parking lot. He held up the first piece of the staff.

"Hey!" Diana shouted and flung out her Eldritch whip. It caught one unsuspecting person around the leg and dragged him off his feet. The group turned to face her with varying looks of anger and confusion.

"Who the hell are you?" Jakob demanded.

"I'm Shieldmaiden of the Avengers." She created another Tao Mandala and placed them in front of her, "Maybe you should go home and rethink your life."

"Hum… I think not." Jakob gave a half smirk, "Kill her."

His group members didn't hesitate and swarmed her. With a few punches, kicks, and a couple shield bashes, the group was soon unconscious on the ground. Diana stepped over the prone criminals. Jakob gripped the staff piece tightly and glowing red seemed to travel up from the rod and into the veins in his face. His eyes glowed red for a second before he snarled and charged her.

His enhanced strength outmatched her own, and she'd forgotten to activate her bracelets before going into the fight. There was no time to do it now. His eyes narrowed at her when her shield blocked a punch and he roared, "I'm gonna rip out your rib cage and wear it as a hat!" He flung out his fist, and she dodged a strike before sending one of her own.

He was getting angrier and angrier as he began to fly into a frenzy of untrained punches and kicks. One lucky punch connected with her temple, and she stumbled backward, dazed, before falling on her butt on the cement. Her shields fizzled out and vanished.

The enraged berserker fueled criminal stood over her and she vaguely heard a voice, "Please, don't kill her. Here! Have the staff piece. Take it! Just don't kill her!" The professor begged.

Diana blinked as her head throbbed, but she vaguely saw Jakob turn away from her, roughly empty the professor's bag, and snatch the staff piece before leaving. She then lay down on the pavement with a groan. Then she must've blacked out.

*FMttM*

When she regained consciousness, she didn't know where she was, and her head hurt like she'd drunk an entire liquor store.

"It's alright, you've only been out for about a minute or two. Don't worry, all of those criminals fled with their leader." Came the professor's soft voice, "Thank you for trying to save me Seidkona."

"I keep getting called that. What does it mean?" Diana mumbled in a slurred voice as she tried to blink the spots away from her sight. That Jakob guy might have given her a concussion… and she blacked out. That's definitely not good. She needed to focus on something so she wouldn't black out again.

"It's… well, it roughly translates to female magic user, witch, or sorceress." The professor sat next to her.

"Oh." She put a hand up to her forehead, "Damn, that berserker rage packs quite the punch."

"You held your own well, though." Randolph said, "I was a bit surprised. I haven't heard of the Seidr being public since the Middle Ages."

"They're still really a private sect, and I'm an exception." Diana smiled a little. It quickly turned into a grimace as her head throbbed.

"May I ask the name of my almost rescuer?"

"Diana. Larson." She focused on the conversation.

"Hmmm… Named after the Roman goddess of the moon no doubt."

"Right." Diana had no idea if that's why her parents had named her that, but it didn't really matter because her head felt like it was between a hammer and an anvil and her thoughts were muddled.

The professor moved away to pick up the books that had dropped out of his satchel when the staff had been taken. A few moments of silence passed before she heard running footsteps. She struggled to sit up and squint in the direction of the approaching person.

"Professor." Diana recognized Coulson's steely voice.

"I screwed up." Randolph told him, "They took the staff."

"Miss Larson, are you alright?"

"Concussion, probably. I'll be fine. That Jakob guy hit me pretty hard." She replied.

Coulson glared at Randolph, "You'll be coming with us, professor." The agent wrapped an arm around Diana's waist and hauled her to her feet. She slung an arm over his shoulders and they started making their way to Coulson's car.

*FMttM*

On the Bus, Coulson brought Diana to the Med Bay before bringing Randolph down to the brig. Simmons did diagnose Diana with a mild concussion and told her to get some sleep to rest physically and mentally.

Diana spent a bit of time in her quarters meditating and resting her mind - concentrating only on her breathing and resting her body and mind. Around noon, the pain in her head had subsided, and she emerged to find some food for lunch. She grabbed a sandwich and headed toward where the agents usually congregated to get information, the lab.

She paused when she heard the threatening voice of Agent Ward, "And if I'm sedated and we cross paths with those juiced freaks, the ones who flip cars and smash people up, are you gonna take them on? Keep us safe? Or am I gonna have to save Simmons' ass… again?"

There was a short pause before Ward came storming out of the lab. He glared at Diana, "What're you looking at?" Before he knocked her shoulder as he passed.

"Well that was uncalled for." Diana entered the lab, "He's still under the effects of the Berserker piece, isn't he?"

Simmons nodded her confirmation and glanced at Fitz who looked quite cowed, "That was just a biochemical reaction. He didn't mean all that." She said to no one or perhaps everyone.

"No, I know." Skye looked a bit shaken at her mentor's outburst.

"Diana's right about the Berserker effects. There's really no explanation necessary."

Simmons turned to Diana, "I'd like to check you again now that you're up and about. From the looks of it, the rest did you some good, but I want to be sure." She motioned to a medical table on the other side of the lab, "Just sit over here."

Simmons took out a light as Diana sat on the medical table. The agent shined the light in her left eye once, twice, and then repeated the same with her right.

"So, doc, am I gonna live?"

"Does your head hurt anymore?"

The blonde shook her head, "I rested and did some meditation. So no, my head doesn't hurt anymore."

"Good. You might still have a bruise around your temple and eye for the next few days," Simmons' fingers were feather light as she touched the place where Diana had been super punched. Diana still flinched and Simmons snatched her fingers back, "Sorry!"

"It's okay. It was more a knee jerk reaction than actual pain."

"I've read what little SHIELD has on you, you know." Simmons told her, "I wanted to know how to help you if you got injured, so while we were en route to Seville, I asked for a copy from Triskelion."

"Oh yeah?"

"It's actually quite a fascinating read. All on paper, mind you, which is kind of strange in this day and age. The Director is apparently very stingy with the information."

"And what exactly does SHIELD have on me?" Diana asked curiously.

"Do you want to see the file? I have it in my quarters."

"Maybe later, when this mission is over." The blonde smiled at the scientist, "Do you think Agent Coulson would allow me to speak with the professor?"

"I don't know. You'd have to ask him."

"You know, I think I will." Diana hopped off the medical table and headed in the direction of the holding cells.

*FMttM*

Diana got down to the holding cells just as Coulson was leaving. He didn't seem to be surprised to see her up and about.

"Miss Larson, good to see you up and about. How's your head?"

"It'll bruise, but no more concussion."

"That's good to hear. Now, what can I do for you?"

"Could I speak with the professor? I might have a bit more luck getting information."

The Agent thought for a moment before stating, "You know something, don't you." Diana smiled slyly, "Well, I was gonna have Agent Ward give it a go to see if some of my assumptions are right, but I think maybe a woman's touch might be just what we needed." He opened the door, "Knock four times and I'll let you out."

"Okay. Thanks." Diana entered the holding cell.

The professor looked up, "I thought -" His eyes widened and the tried to get to his feet, but the shackles attached to the table prevented that, and so he lost his balance and collapsed back on the seat, "Miss Larson! I didn't expect to see you."

Diana smiled, "Thanks for saving my life. I don't think I said that before."

"Oh, well, it's no problem. I just… I didn't want to see you hurt anymore than you were already." Randolph fumbled with the handcuffs. Then he pointed to his temple as best he could, "How-How's your head?"

"Better."

"That's good. I am curious, though. How long have you been practicing seidr?"

Diana took a seat across from him, "How about a question for a question. I'll answer yours and you answer mine, yeah?"

The professor shifted uncomfortably before replying, "Alright."

"I have been studying what you call seidr for about three years now." She folded her hands, and leaned forward, "So, what's your real name?"

Elliot Randolph gawked, "I beg your pardon?"

"Your name. I'm pretty sure it wasn't Elliot Randolph the first go around."

"How-what?"

"I've met Thor twice." She stated, "Asgardians have a particular feel about them. I think it's the Aesir magic that seeps into their souls. So… the answer to my question?"

"I… can't."

"I know you've probably been hiding for a long time, but please… people's lives are at stake."

He gulped a little, "Elias." He closed his eyes and lowered his head, "My name is Elias. I am… was… of Asgard."

"Elias." Diana repeated, and he sucked in a breath, shoulders shuddering, "It's really nice to meet you."

"It's been centuries since I've heard my real name."

"Elias, we need to talk about the Berserker Staff."

He nodded, "I should apologize to that young man. He accidentally touched the staff piece when I was taking it, and it's never a pleasant first experience for anyone."

"What happens?"

"You relive your worst memory so that it and other bad memories can fuel your rage."

"And bloodlust, I bet."

"Depends on the person. I saw berserkers simply scream and cry and verbally rage until their vocal cords didn't work anymore. There were others who stewed for a while before exploding like a volcano. And, of course, there were the real berserkers who go… well… berserk in a physical sense."

"I see. So, if each piece gives a person super strength and breathtaking anger management issues equal to that of the Hulk, what does the full staff do?"

The professor grimaced, "Triple it. It gets nearly uncontrollable. It's not something you want to go up against."

Diana held up her wrists, "Do you know what these are?"

His eyes widened, "Where did you get those? They were specifically made for a seidr star warrior in China. I believe his name was Tiáo Liǔjuān."

Her eyebrows went up, "How do you know that?"

"I made mythology and legends my profession since having a PhD in the subject became viable." The professor smiled and leaned toward her, "I didn't just study the Norse stories, you know." Then he sighed and swiped a hand over his mouth. The handcuffs broke and he froze, "Umm…"

Diana gave him an amused look, "Are you gonna attack me, Elias? Should I feel like I'm in danger?"

"What? No!" He looked affronted, "I'm a pacifist now! I don't fight anymore."

"And your history? Why are you here? Why didn't you return to Asgard all those years ago?"

"At first… you could call me… well… a deserter." He looked a bit embarrassed, "I'd had enough of fighting and with the Asgard… you don't just stop fighting. It's a lifestyle that can't be broken and must be adhered to at all costs. I would've been shunned for not wanting to fight anymore." He paused, "So I stayed. I wandered Midgard, learning what I could, trying not to be accused of using black magic because, you know, I'm pretty long lived. I mean," he chuckled, "I'm well over three thousand years old, and I really don't look it by human standards."

"How old are you by physical human standards?" Diana asked curiously.

"Hmmm, physically I'm about sixty human life span years."

"Go on."

"Right. Well, I met a French girl in 1546. Ah, she loved stories." He smiled nostalgically and leaned back in his chair, "So…I told her a great one. All about the peaceful Asgardian warrior who stayed. Now, how was I to know her brother, the priest, would write it all down and turn it into, I don't know, a thing?"

"Is that how the clues to the staff got out?"

The professor's expression turned bitter, "Yeah. I really hadn't planned on that, but that girl. Mmm. She was a looker. And I was much younger back then."

"Can you tell us where the last piece is?" Diana asked.

"I wouldn't worry too much about those angry youths. They'll calm down eventually, or die of old age." He waved off her question, unconcerned.

"Excuse me, but I almost died because of one of those 'angry youths' thank you very much."

The professor grimaced, "Apologies. I sometimes don't remember that humans are not as durable as I am. So, the staff piece… Well, my first love on this planet was Ireland. There was a monastery and the monks gave a nice, warm place to sleep, some soup and some mulled wine. I hid the last piece there."

"Where in Ireland? There are literally hundreds of monasteries in the Republic and Northern Ireland."

"As far as I know, it's still in use, since it's in the city of Belfast."

Diana nodded, "Thanks for your cooperation Elias. Will you help us get the staff back and maybe break it apart again for hiding?"

"I'd rather it was destroyed, but there's no way to do that on Earth."

"Not even with magic?"

"Miss Larson, I once knew a Celtic seidkona in my youth. She was powerful and smart. I asked her if she could destroy the staff, but despite everything she tried, nothing worked. The best she could do at the time was break it into the current three pieces to lessen its power."

"Okay. I guess we'll figure out something." Diana walked to the door and knocked four times, "I'll make sure the agents treat you well, bring you food and stuff."

"Thank you, Miss Larson."

*FMttM*

The flight to Belfast, Northern Ireland took three hours. They arrived to the monastery in the designated black SUVs with the professor in tow.

He looked up at the cathedral, he heaved a sigh, "It's been a while." They made their way inside just behind Randolph, "Now where was it… I wonder…" He searched around the room before a small smile appeared on his face, "Ah, there it is. It's still here." He strode over to a stand where a book sat on a stand, "Well, the nose isn't quite right, but…

Fitz was right behind the professor, "That's you?" Diana could only assume that there was some sort of picture on the book of Randolph

"Yeah, they venerated me a bit as a saint." He looked a little sheepish.

"They're idiots." Ward had taken a look at the book.

"It was the Middle Ages or Dark Ages when he first arrived," Diana pointed out, "They'd probably view us as witches and horribly burn us at the stake or revere us as saints or angels."

"Whatever. Where's the staff?" Ward asked.

Randolph motioned with his chin, "It's upstairs." He led the way up the stone stairs.

In the upstairs hallway, the ambiance made all of the Agents and Diana very tense.

"It's too quiet." May commented softly as she clenched her hands into fists.

The professor smirked as he came to a cabinet and started working on opening the lock, "Why do you think I trusted them with my secret? They take a vow of silence."

"But when you get them talking, they squeal." Jakob stepped forward from behind a wall with the nearly completed staff. He raised the weapon, "If you want to defeat a god, you must become one."

Diana acted fast and quickly summoned one of her Tao Mandala shields before jumping in from of the strike to defend the Asgardian.

"You again!" Jakob snarled, "I should've just killed you when I had the chance!"

Her hand shot out and she grabbed his bare wrist, "Good luck with that." She had barely let go before she flicked her wrists and activated her bracelets. Shieldmaiden smiled, "I wasn't prepared last time, and you got a lucky shot. Let's see how you fare this time." She took a defensive posture and addressed the Agents, "He's got minions. Some of them have gone berserk. I can deal with this one."

Jakob laughed, "Well, I guess I'll get my new hat after all." He surged forward with the staff, trying to stab at her.

Shieldmaiden easily dodged the frenzied attack and came back with one of her own. Punch, punch, knee to the stomach.

This just seemed to make Jakob angrier, "How did you get as strong as me?!"

"There's more on heaven and earth, Horatio - or in this case Jakob - than are dreamt of in your philosophy," she shot back, "including people who can beat the crap out of super powered idiots like you!" She swung her fist in an uppercut and caught his jaw.

He stumbled back, "I am a god-"

"-you dull creature and I will not be bullied by ants or animals or whatever." Shieldmaiden rolled her eyes, "Loki already covered that, so shut the hell up."

Jakob bared his teeth and attacked again, stabbing with the staff, punching, kicking in an uncultured series of blows which were easy to block. She continued to defend and counter, matching him blow for blow and getting in more hits than him. How in the name of all that's Stan Lee did she lose to this guy? Oh yeah… the bracelets.

Then he hit her hard in the stomach, making her fly several feet backwards and into a pillar. Ow.

"You think that just because you can match my strength, that you can defeat me? Just because you have some hand-wavy mumbo jumbo that you're more powerful than me?" The tip of the spear came up to her throat, "You will die. Here and now." He drew back the spear. Shieldmaiden made a few finger motions and activated a Tao Mandala shield just in time to block the spear as it descended. Jakob drew back again, "Fuck you and your strength and your shield and your face!" He stabbed at her Tao Mandala several times, causing magical sparks to fly everywhere.

On the last drawback, there was a short pause, "You done?" Shieldmaiden questioned. He sneered at her as she smiled back. Her right hand crackled with an Eldritch Whip, which she quickly brought around and captured the staff. Using all of her strength plus his berserker strength courtesy of the bracelets, Shieldmaiden yanked the staff from Jakob's hands and sent it flying over the railing.

"NO!" Jakob flew over the railing after the staff.

Shieldmaiden sighed, "Why…? Why?" And jumped after him. As she landed below, she vaguely heard Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool say 'superhero landing' in her head, and she promptly told the fourth wall breaker to shut up.

Jakob had the staff back in his hands, which were glowing an orange-y red, like his eyes and the veins leading up to his eyes. He pointed the staff at her, "You will die by my hand and no other."

Shieldmaiden activated both Tao Mandala shields, "I think you've forgotten who I am."

"I don't give a damn. I just want you to die!" Jakob charged at her like he was doing a running joust.

There was a storm of punches, kicks, ducking and dodging before Shieldmaiden bashed Jakob's nose hard with one of her shields. He stumbled back as blood poured from his nostrils, and he and his staff collapsed to the floor. Jakob was unconscious. Shieldmaiden sighed in relief and was about to use magic to lift the staff only to have it snatched up by… Agent Ward? What was he doing -

She took in her surroundings and saw that from another part of the monastery, Jakob's minions had emerged with Skye and May fleeing through the doors.

Shieldmaiden sucked in a breath as she watched the orange-red glow flow up Agent Ward's arm in veined patterns until it got to his eyes. They reflected the same color for a moment before Agent Ward's expression contorted with absolute rage, and he began to strike down every single minion in the room in quick succession. He was…

Diana realized she had to stop him from killing everyone, so she joined the fight, shield bashing those minions closest to her. She hoped they would make it out of this alive. Eventually the two of them stood surrounded by unconscious and dead bodies. Agent Ward ended his fight kneeling as he panted from the physical exertion. Diana wiped her brow and realized that, yes, she was in fact bleeding from another head wound. Wonderful.

Ward dropped the staff and collapsed with exhaustion. Skye rushed forward from where the Agents had stationed themselves in relative safety to the fight, "Grant! Oh my god, are you alright?"

Randolph was not far behind her and explained, "He wore out his rage. He'll be exhausted and hungry, but other than a few minor injuries I think he'll be okay."

Another set of doors opened and there stood the woman Jakob had initially been with, Petra. She held the third staff piece in her hand and she didn't look happy.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" Skye scowled and Ward went to pick up the staff only to have his hand stopped by another.

"This time," May told him and glanced at Diana as well, "let me help."

He sighed in relief and relaxed a little, "Okay."

May looked to Diana, "You go girl."

The Chinese woman's lips twitched upwards a little before she grabbed the staff and hissed as the orange-red glow travelled up her arms and into her eyes, "Protect them. I got this." She stalked off to confront Petra and one of the remaining minions.

Diana and Skye helped Ward to his feet and practically dragged him to where Skye and May had previously been standing. "Thanks for the -" Ward started and then gasped as one of his arms jerked the wrong way, "Thanks for the assist, Shieldmaiden."

"No problem, Agent Ward." She acknowledged. Diana then activated a Tao Mandala shield and turned to watch the fight between May and… well… just Petra now.

May easily knocked Petra to the ground. Although the latter seemed to have some training in fighting, May outclassed and outmatched her in skill and experience. It wasn't long before May was able to knock the third piece from her opponent's grasp, sending it flying into May's free hand. After a moment's consideration, May combined the pieces of the staff into one.

Petra stood, "I'm not afraid of you."

As she turned toward May, the Agent struck her opponent with the staff with a roar of rage, and Petra dropped like a sack of potatoes. May then threw the staff to the floor in disgust before looking over to Diana, Skye, and Ward. Diana lowered her shield slightly and saw May give a nod, although the Agent hadn't been looking at her, so Diana assumed she must have been silently communicating with Skye or Ward. Diana vanished her shield and flicked her wrists to deactivate her bracelets. The danger and fighting had passed with victory.

*FMttM*

The Agents decided to get hotel rooms for the night so they didn't have to stay on the Bus. Diana roomed with Skye and Simmons - who was starting to insist that she be called Jemma. Diana took the time to meditate so she could use magic to mostly heal her wounds, like lightening up the bruises from her fight with Jakob.

It was later that night that Jemma approached Diana with a file, "I know I could've waited to give this to you when we were back on the Bus, but Skye told me about your ability to make portals. How does that even work exactly?"

Diana straightened her back and rolled her shoulders, ending her meditation. She looked up at the scientist, "I'm not exactly sure. It could be a wormhole or it could just be that the energy I harness rips a hole in the space-time continuum. I don't think we usually study the science of what we can do."

"We?" Jemma questioned, "There's more of you?"

"The rest are pretty isolated. They only deal with supernatural or inter-dimensional problems - at least that's what the motto currently is."

"But what about Loki and the events at Greenwich? Why didn't others show up there?"

"I did, but I'm kind of a renegade," the blonde replied, "and those two events were technically extraterrestrial, not supernatural."

Jemma pursed her lips, "I suppose you're right. Well, here's the file SHIELD has on you." She handed over the fairly thin folder, "There's not too much written down. Many of the documents just say to ask the Director or Captain Rogers. There are even some that reference Peggy Carter!"

"That makes sense." Diana flipped through the pages. There were only about ten and most looked like transcripts of conversations. "I revealed a lot of information to you guys just by being a part of your team. I hope it doesn't come back to bite me in the ass."

"Well, we'll support you no matter what happens." Jemma gave a determined look.

"I hope so." Diana got up from the floor and went to the spinning desk chair. She set the folder down on the desk and sat in the chair, promptly doing a quick 360 spin - because no one can sit in a spinning chair and not try to spin it around - before she reopened the folder.

"I'll leave you to it, then." She stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Soon, the tub faucet turned on along with the bathroom fan.

Diana stared down at the first page of the SHIELD document.

CLASSIFIED SSR DOCUMENT #37316152

[RECENT PHOTO OF SUBJECT]

NAME: _LARSON,_DIANA_

DOB: _8_AUGUST_1920 (estimated)_

PLACE OF BIRTH: _*******_ , _MINNESOTA_

RACE: _HUMAN_ ETHNICITY:_CAUCASIAN_

HEIGHT:_5'7" (1.7 M) _ WEIGHT: 145 LBS (65.77 KG)_

HAIR:BLONDE _ EYE COLOR:_BLUE_ AGE: 27 (approx. physical)_

FAMILY: _PARENTS, SIBLINGS (2 BROTHERS, 1 SISTER)_

KNOWN ASSOCIATES: STEVEN GRANT ROGERS, MARGARET CARTER, DANIEL DRUMM, ANTHONY EDWARD STARK, THOR, ROBERT BRUCE BANNER,_ NATALIA ALIANOVA_ROMANOVA, CLINTON FRANCIS BARTON, MATTHEW MICHAEL_MURDOCK,_FRANKLIN PERCY NELSON_

NOTE: All associates have been or currently are on the SHIELD watch list or in SHIELD employ.

NOTE: It is also assumed that the subject knew the Howling Commandos and SSR leader Colonel Phillips; they are all deceased.

SKILLS: ENERGY SHIELDS, MARTIAL ARTS SKILLS (ADEPT TO MASTERY), GUN SKILLS, MORE_

All of that information fit on a single page. The rest of the nine remaining pages were transcripts of recent conversations with Peggy (from just after the Battle for New York) corroborating the evidence. Large parts of the transcript were also redacted, and there was also a note on the first page of transcripts saying "See the Director."

SHIELD thought her birth year was 1920, and so HYDRA would know about her time travel. Considering Steve Rogers and their experience with the Winter Soldier in cryosleep, this would probably not surprise them too much, although they might wonder how she did it.

Diana did, however, think about her age and began to write down on a hotel notepad her age in years and months. When she was finished, she came up with an age that was a year older than she thought - she was in fact 27 and 3 months. The blonde decided to just round it down to 27 and still celebrate her birthday on her actual birth date.

With a sigh of relief, Diana closed the file. HYDRA currently had nothing of substance. Fury and Stark had kept her universe crossing a secret and had put nothing on paper, hence the 1920 birth year. She could relax for now and get a good night's sleep.

*FMttM*

In the morning, Diana followed the Agents back to the Bus. Professor Randolph had already left Northern Ireland to find someplace safe to live.

After a debriefing, she turned to the Agents of SHIELD and discreetly slid on her Sling Ring, "Well you guys it's been fun, but I need to go back to where I belong."

"Oh! Are you gonna make a portal?" Skye asked.

Diana gave the younger woman a pout, "Ruin my fun." She took began to make the circular motions to create the portal. She paused and looked to Coulson, "You have my cell number if you need me?"

"I do," the Agent nodded.

"Call me if anything else magical comes up."

"Will do."

"Skye, Jemma, Fitz, May, Ward," she acknowledged each agent before stepping through the portal to the London Sanctum and swiping it closed behind her.

She had just started going up the stairs when a familiar voice reached her ears, "How did the mission go?"

Diana turned and smiled when she saw her teacher, "It went well. A few bruises," she motioned to her face, "but nothing really bad. Some kids got a hold of the three pieces of the Berserker's Staff. SHIELD is taking it to its vault."

Master Daniel nodded, "I'm glad everything went well for you. I'd like to hear about the mission when we are back in New York. And I suppose you would also like a respite from training."

"Actually, I really need to step up my game. I got caught off guard and almost killed because I was stupid and forgot to activate my bracelets to counteract the super strength the staff pieces gave those holding them."

"Very well," Master Drumm replied, "although I'm sure Mr. Murdock's training will be more useful than mine."

They headed in the direction of the Portal Room to travel back to the New York Sanctum.


	12. Captain America: Homecoming

**This portion of the story is based on the comic** ** _Captain America: Homecoming_** **. It can be found on Youtube. This is the last chapter before** ** _The Winter Soldier_** **. I'm sure everyone is waiting on baited breath for Bucky's return.**

 **So, read, enjoy, and review!**

*FMttM*

Diana traveled with Steve and Natasha rather than take a portal back to her apartment. The red-head gave her the briefing. Apparently, some mercenary group called the Cadre had taken an interest in a renowned scientist and professor Sana Amanat. She had recently won the Nobel prize for something science-y that the Cadre were interested in - there had been threats made to her person. The info on the threats was shaky at best, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Upon arriving in Brooklyn, the three of them set up in a hotel, Steve and Natasha posing as a couple and Diana posing as Steve's sister and maid of honor in the undercover op (the couple part made Steve tomato red whenever Natasha was even remotely fake-affectionate that Diana mercilessly teased him, just as a sibling would do).

The three of them went out for supper at a diner that, while the outside and inside had been updated and remodeled, the building, and the name, had been around since the '40s. It was a place that Steve and Bucky had frequented as kids before and during the Depression and when they had money to take girls on dates before going off to the War. Steve insisted on getting a giant milkshake for the three of them to share. Steve assured them that this diner had the best milkshakes in the world.

As they slurped down the chocolate ice cream goodness, Steve couldn't help but smile, "It's just like I remember." He looked to the two women sitting across the table from him, "Well? What do you think?"

Natasha took another sip, "Oh come on. Don't rush a sophisticated palate." She took another and rolled the ice cream around in her mouth thoughtfully.

As she was doing that, Diana sucked up quite a bit of milkshake and grinned at Steve, "This is delicious! I haven't been around the world, but this is a great milkshake. It reminds me of the shakes from the 371 Diner near my aunt's house."

"Wow," Natasha apparently came to her conclusion, "you're right, Steve. My work with SHIELD has sent me all over the world and that is without a doubt the best milkshake… in Brooklyn. But on the planet?"

"I told you, Natasha - there's a reason this place has been open since I was a kid. Of course, back then the malteds cost only a nickel."

"And you walked uphill both ways to go to school, right?" The redhead joked.

Diana snickered a little, "Maybe he took a different route on the way home to make it that way. Probably got into a few fights in back alleys on the way home too."

"Buck and I usually walked home together." Steve gave a nostalgic smile, "He prevented that from happening… daily."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you," Natasha shrugged. "I guess I've just had better."

The Captain looked a bit put out, "At least Diana likes it."

"It's chocolate ice cream. What do you expect?" The blonde grinned and took another long slurp from her straw, "Aren't you gonna have some more? It's not like you're in danger of a brain freeze or anything."

Steve laughed and took up his straw again, sucking up what little was left in the glass.

After paying, the three of them exited the diner and started walking down the sidewalks. "I haven't had the time to rediscover my old neighborhood since…"

"You thawed?" Natasha asked.

Steve had a small smile, "I was actually gonna say 'returned to active duty', but I get your point."

He began to point out buildings, and each one had a story to it. Some were long, others silly, and even more were short, but fun little insights into Steve's life before he became a super soldier, before the War, and before he lost Bucky.

Eventually, they came to a sandstone brick building on a corner and Steve got a strange look on his face, "My mom and I lived on the third floor of that walk-up building. I remember a news vendor who would give me a dime a day just to hawk some of his Evening News Editions for him." Then he pointed across the street as they walked the sidewalk, "And over there? Where the Gluten Free Organic Wraps stand is?" He paused to give a huff of laughter, "Yeah, we didn't have those in the old days. Or the Internet. Or a Cafe-slash-Fair Use Coffee bar every twelve feet."

"At least you actually know what Gluten Free is now." Diana said.

Steve smiled, but Diana noted that it was strained, "When I find something I don't know, I just search the Internet for it. It's a pretty good resource, even though I'd prefer to go to the library. Going out, though… It's a problem." He glanced at her and his eyebrow arched a little. It was then that Diana knew that something was really wrong.

Natasha looked over at Steve, "I'm sorry. I hope just walking around here hasn't upset you, stirring up unhappy memories…"

"Nah. It's bittersweet because the people are gone, but… it's nice to see that the next generation is making good use of it, you know? It's comforting to know that the world doesn't just stop turning when you're not around."

They suddenly turned into an alleyway and the two started climbing a fire escape. Diana blinked in confusion before taking out her Sling ring. She quickly made a portal to the top of the building, stepped through, and closed it behind her. She looked over the edge and saw two people, a totally not homeless guy (he was too clean) and a lady in a green tracksuit. They were looking around the alley.

"Where'd they go?" Not Homeless asked.

Suddenly a trash can lid hit both of them, and she watched as Steve and Natasha jumped down from the fire escape.

"Boy, you leave a place for half a century and it goes completely to the dogs." Steve commented after he made a superhero landing. Natasha landed behind him. He knelt next to Not Homeless and sighed, "Sometimes I don't know my own strength. We won't be getting anything out of either of them."

"What's important is that Director Fury's intel was right. Someone is planning to snatch Professor Amanat today!" Natasha put a hand on her hip.

"I'll call Rumlow for backup." Steve touched the nearly invisible com in his ear.

Diana saw Natasha frown, "My coms are getting static."

"Mine too."

"Think we're in a dead zone?"

"Don't know, but from what I've seen of the current residents and this generation in general, they'd die without WiFi."

"Then it must be a broadcast jammer."

"Let's test that theory." He started to exit the alley before he paused, "Where's Diana?"

Diana stood from her spot atop the building, "Yo!" She called down before making a portal back to the ground, "I'm not exactly as athletically inclined as you two, so I did what I had to to get out of there before the thugs got there." She swiped the portal closed behind her.

Steve looked a bit sheepish, "Sorry. Got a bit carried away."

"Of course you did, punk." She used Bucky's affectionate insult. That caused Steve to give a small, sad smile.

"There's an ambulance over there. Maybe we should ask about our problem." Natasha informed them.

Steve nodded and approached the ambulance, "Excuse me, can we use your radio? Our phones have no signal and it's a bit of an emergency."

Diana jumped into action as soon as she saw the guns being drawn, "Guns!" Cap and Black Widow were still technically in civilian clothes and had nothing to block the bullets. With a few hand gestures, her two Tao Mandalas blocked every single shot.

"A simple 'no' would've sufficed." Steve grumbled from behind her.

Black Widow darted out from behind the Tao Mandala and kicked one of the guys in the face, "They're all mercs in disguise!" She shouted back at them.

Then the Gluten Free vendor from across the street began shooting. "Di, can you get him?" Steve asked, knowing the distance was too far for him for melee fighting.

Diana canceled one of her shields, and her fingers crackled with Eldritch magic, "One whip coming up." She moved her remaining shield to cover Steve and give her a good angle to swing her whip. The golden thread lashed out and caught the gun, wrenching it from the mercenary's grasp and to the ground. She swung her whip again and caught the latch on the cart's window cover. The mercenary vendor barely made it inside the cart before the cover came crashing down.

By that time Natasha had dealt with the two mercenary EMTs and turned to them, "How'd you survive such a dangerous neighborhood?"

"It's gotten a lot more so in the last three minutes."

More bullets came from a completely different direction. Diana jumped in front of her friends and used her Tao Mandala to deflect the fire from the mercenaries. Natasha and Steve backed toward the ambulance with Diana covering them, her freehand made the magical gestures to re-summon her second Tao Mandala shield.

She startled when she heard gunfire from behind her and glanced over her shoulder to see that Natasha had picked up one of the EMT mercenary's weapons and was returning fire on the two new mercenaries.

"Get in!" Steve shouted to Diana. She quickly cancelled her Tao Mandalas in time for Black Widow's shots, and Steve got in after her.

"Looks like the enemy has taken over the entire block." Natasha brushed some hair out of her face, "Thanks for the cover, Diana."

"No problem."

"Okay, plan - we're gonna have to clear the broadcast jammer and clear the block." The three of them sped off in the ambulance, away from the firefight only to be blocked by a dump truck.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Diana snarled.

"'Tasha, cover us." Steve ordered.

Black Widow opened her door and, using it as her personal cover, began shooting at the guy in the dump truck. Steve jumped out with Diana following. She prepared to summon a Tao Mandala and an Eldritch Whip, but Steve stopped her.

"We need a portal to take us out of the jammer's range and away from the gunfire."

"Right." Diana dug in her pocket again and put on the Sling ring. Within a second she had a portal open to the rooftop above them.

"Natasha!" Steve shouted, and as soon as he made eye contact with her, he ran through the portal.

The Black Widow slid across the hood of the ambulance like a boss, and she and DIana crossed through the portal together. Diana closed it just before the return gunfire could reach them. They could hear the shots down below.

Steve touched the com in his ear, "Still nothing." He turned in a circle before eyeing an antenna, "Though that building over there used to be the local radio station when I was a kid, but I've never seen those doohickeys on an antenna in my day or this one." He stepped in front of a clothes line and started stretching it, like it was some kind of sling shot, "I'm checking it out." The clothesline trick surprisingly worked and the Captain practically flew from the rooftop over to the antenna and promptly disappeared.

Diana looked at Natasha, "You know, I'm kind of surprised Steve didn't give Bucky multiple heart attacks when they were younger."

The ginger's lips curved into a smile, "Well, it's impossible to keep the Captain out of trouble, so might as well plan to get him out of trouble after he finds it."

"Another portal?" Diana asked.

"If you please."

"Welcome to Diana Portal Services. Please keep your hands off the sparking portal edges, and you'll get to the other side just fine." The blonde joked as she opened another portal. Black Widow charged through first and Diana followed behind, opting to use only her bracelets and a shield this time. She had Steve's strength added to her own for this fight.

"Start the party without me, why don't you!" Natasha called to Steve.

The Captain tossed a chair at a goon, "I think the controls for the broadcast system are over there." He made a motion toward some buttons and a computer on the other side of the room.

The three of them quickly dispatched the goons and paused to catch their breaths. Natasha smirked slightly, "Doesn't seem like we need back up anymore, though."

One of the men groaned, catching Steve's attention. He grabbed the guy by his coat, "Alright, pal, there's no point in protecting whoever you're working for. Whatever your plan is, It's through."

The mustachioed man sneered, "On the contrary, Captain, we delayed you just long enough!"

"What're you talking about?" Steve demanded as Natasha and Diana looked out one of the windows.

"Smoke's filling up the street!" Diana told him, "I think the attack's started!"

Mr. Mustache smirked, "Ha! You see? You're too late, Captain. Your kind always is."

Steve scowled, "We'll see," and promptly punched Mr. Mustache in the face, knocking him out.

"Well, that was helpful." Diana said.

"There's only one gas mask." The Captain held the breathing apparatus. He looked to Natasha, "Now that the jammer is down, call for backup!" He strode toward the window with the gas mask covering his face.

"Hey, wait!" Diana called out when she realized he was only HOLDING the gas mask and hadn't actually strapped it on. However, he had already jumped from the third story window, "That stupid jerk. Totally telling Buck all the stupid things you've done when I see him." She grumbled.

Natasha put her fingers to her earpiece, "This is Black Widow calling STRIKE. Do you read?"

"Rumlow here. We read you loud and clear." Came a man's voice, "We thought you were gonna make contact earlier."

"Had some trouble with a com jammer. The Captain is out there now handling the job, but we're gonna need backup."

Diana watched out the window as Natasha continued with Rumlow, giving their current location. Moments later, "OW!" Came a shout from an unfamiliar masculine voice. Then Steve came walking out from the alley with the good doctor.

"I don't think we're gonna need backup for a fight, Natasha." She said, "Steve's handled it, and the scientist is safe."

"He's so reckless." The ginger shook her head in exasperation.

Diana slipped on her Sling ring and made a portal to the ground. They brought her to the diner where they'd had their giant malt, telling her to use their more well known names - Captain America, Black Widow, and Shieldmaiden - rather than their civilian names. The doctor obliged and thanked them personally before entering the diner. The three walked around the block and rounded up the goons as a SHIELD team arrived with Rumlow leading them.

"Captain." He greeted Steve with a firm handshake, "Agent Romanoff." He nodded to Natasha before he turned his gaze to Diana, "I don't think I know you."

Steve, knowing her distrust of SHIELD, stepped between them, "That's Shieldmaiden."

Rumlow's eyes narrowed as he looked around the Captain to get a better look at her, "Shieldmaiden, huh? Why weren't we notified of the extra party?"

"The Director knew and gave the okay." Steve replied, "Her involvement was on a need to know basis anyway."

"Hmmm…" Rumlow stared at her again, "She don't look like much, though she looks like she'd be a real sweetie."

"And she is standing right here, listening to every disgusting thing you're saying." She glared at the STRIKE team agent.

He put his hands up in surrender, "Sorry sweetie." His tone told her very easily that he really wasn't that sorry.

"Round up the criminals," Steve directed. "There are quite a few of them."

"Yessir." Rumlow straightened before going back to his men and barking orders.

Steve turned to Diana, "Sorry about that. He thinks he's got an in with pretty dames for some reason."

"Huh. Well, with a shining personality like that I can totally see it," she rolled her eyes, "not."

The Captain cracked a smile, "We should probably head back to the diner to check on Professor Amanat."

"Good idea."

"Agreed." Natasha gave a nod.

At the diner, someone had called the press, and Professor Amanat was being interviewed by a few reporters.

"I'd just like to thank Captain America and his fellow Avengers Black Widow and Shieldmaiden for making sure my homecoming wasn't a total disaster!" The scientist remarked.

"You grew up in this neighborhood, Professor Amanat?" A reporter asked as Steve, Natasha, and Diana took a booth near the door.

The woman smiled, "I did! It's been home for immigrants from around the world for decades, and no matter where their families are from, the local kids knew that these are the best milkshakes on Earth!"

Steve smirked and leaned forward toward Natasha, "See, even the professor agrees with me."

The ginger simply rolled her eyes, "We should get back to base."

"Yeah. Looks like we can go home." He replied.

"I think I might just Sling to your place, pick up my stuff, and go home myself."

Steve stopped just as he was about to push the diner's front door open, "Really? You haven't been away very long." He opened the door and they went outside.

"Yeah, I know, but I need to figure out my job situation. I have to pay rent and groceries and cable and internet and my phone…"

"I understand. It was just nice having a roommate."

Diana smiled, "I'll still stop by and have movie nights."

"You do movie nights?" Natasha asked.

"Yup. Haven't you seen how much more pop culture savvy Steve is? I mean, we haven't gotten through a lot, but we're catching up ever so slowly."

"It's good that someone's doing that."

*FMttM*

With the mission completed, Diana snuck out and made a portal to to her room in Steve's DC apartment.

As she was packing her belongings, she felt a slight prickling sensation on the back of her neck, that feeling most people get when they're being watched. Diana turned around, searching for the source of the unease, but found nothing visual. Thinking for a moment, she sat down cross-legged, breathed in, and emerged in her astral form.

Diana flew through walls and even checked the neighboring apartments. There was nothing. So, she decided to widen her search to the buildings that Steve's apartment faced. As she glided across the road, staying even with Steve's windows, she spotted a dark shape on the roof looking through the scope of a gun. Diana sucked in a breath, recognizing the shape instantly. With her heart pounding, she landed on the roof next to his position as he continued to watch the window of Steve's apartment.

"Bucky," she whispered.

His head suddenly turned away from the scope toward her. His goggles kept his long, dark hair out of his eyes and the mask over his mouth prevented anyone from seeing that he was an actual human being. His head tilted to the side as if he was listening for something.

With a shaky hand, Diana reached out, "You found me." Her hand hesitated for a moment before she brushed a few strands of his long hair with her fingers. They only moved slightly, as if a light breeze had come across the rooftop.

In an instant, he was on his feet, a blade twirling in his glove-covered flesh hand. His gaze scanned the rooftop. Then he pressed the com in his ear and said a few short sharp phrases in... Russian?

Diana withdrew a little, "When you start to remember, I'll see you again. I promise." His grip tightened on his knife. She smiled sadly, "I hope you remember soon, stupid-face. I miss you."

His entire body tensed, and Diana wished she could see his face. Then there came a muffled, "Show yourself."

"Find me, just like you promised." Then she withdrew entirely and returned to her physical body in Steve's apartment. She bowed her head as tears gathered in her eyes. "Oh god." It was horrible seeing Bucky like that, with no actual will of his own. But he was in there, and his emergence from cryosleep was early. Maybe he'd remember sooner. She could only hope.

*FMttM*

It was the dead of night when Diana awoke to a rapping on her window in her apartment in New York. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table and saw that it was nearly four in the morning.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and made her way to the window that overlooked the fire escape. A dark figure leaned awkwardly against the bars with a black mask obscuring the top half of his face. She unlocked and threw open the window.

"Matt!" She reached out to him, not knowing how much help he'd need getting into her apartment, but offering her help nonetheless. He gripped her forearm and allowed her to pull him inside. He then slid down the wall beside the window, leaving a smear of blood. "Holy shit." She cursed.

Matt reached up and removed his mask. There was also a slash across his cheek, and his nose and mouth were bleeding, "It's bad." He told her, "I think I've a few broken ribs, one of which broke the skin in my back and," he tilted his head to the side, "a fracture in my femur." Matt grimaced before admitting, "I got careless."

Diana cast her healing spell to heal bones first and lay her hands over his wounds, "You're a real idiot sometimes, Matt."

He leaned his head back against the wall, "Well, no one else is doing anything to help innocents."

"I know, but maybe you shouldn't go out alone anymore." She moved her hands to another wound.

"No. I won't involve anyone else in what I do. It's too dangerous."

"Not too dangerous for you, though." She remarked as her hands moved to his chest, "This will probably feel terrible as the bones move back into place."

He nodded and lowered his chin, his jaw clenching, "Do it."

Diana placed her hands over his chest and the healing began. Matt hissed and his gloved hands clenched as he tried to keep the rest of his body from tensing. His lower lip split open again due to his grimace and began to bleed freely.

After a few tense moments the magic on Diana's hands faded, cueing the end of the healing process. "Better?" She asked, wanting to make sure she got all of the broken bones.

Matt licked his lower lip to clean off the blood before answering, "No more broken bones."

"Alright. Time for the cuts and bruises."

"You don't have to," Matt started to stand.

"Sit your butt back down on the floor, Matthew Murdock!" He instantly followed her directions. Diana raised her hands again and cast a spell for superficial healing. The slash on his cheek would have required stitches had he not come to her.

After she finished healing his cuts and bruising, ending with his lip, he licked it again, "Thank you."

"I'm glad I could help. I don't know how you'd explain your broken bones, cuts, and bruises to a hospital."

"It won't happen again." Matt assured her, "I'll be more careful."

"Maybe I should bring in Steve so you can spar with someone stronger and faster than you. I mean, he's pretty well trained."

The blind vigilante looked thoughtful, "I never did get to talk to him about my grandfather."

"So you'll consider it?"

"It… might be helpful." Diana stood, and Matt followed suit. She glanced at her wall and he apologized, "Sorry about the blood."

"Don't worry about it. I'll clean it in the morning."

Matt put his mask back on before climbing out the window, "Thanks again for the help."

"Are you going out again?"

He shook his head, "I think I'm gonna collapse into bed."

"That sounds like a great idea." She approved, "See you later."

Matt quickly scaled the fire escape to a window in his apartment and vanished from Diana's sight.

*FMttM*

Ping!

Diana picked up her phone after pausing the movie she was watching. She had a text.

Text - 1:37 PM

Robert Downey Jr.: **Heard you don't have a job.**

It had only been a week since she'd been fired, and she'd already started searching for something new to do to earn money. She'd even gone to the unemployment office, but when she had no resume, evidence of education on hand, and a mediocre recommendation from her previous bosses, it was difficult for them to find a place for her. Before she could answer back, her phone pinged again.

Text - 1:37 PM

Robert Downey Jr.: **Come work for me.**

Robert Downey Jr.: **Hours are flexible.**

Robert Downey Jr.: **Pay and benefits will be good.**

Text - 1:38 PM

Robert Downey Jr.: **So come work for me.**

Diana stared at the messages. What the heck could she do for Tony Stark? He probably didn't need another secretary. Plus, he had Pepper.

So she texted back: **What would I even do at Stark Industries?**

Text - 1:39 PM

Robert Downey Jr.: **I want you to write what you know. ;)**

Her brows furrowed. What she knew… What could that - oh… oh no. He wanted her to write down what she knew about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If he wanted her to write down the future stuff then that could drastically change everything! HYDRA would be found out early and might take Bucky away or worse, kill him for his potential of going rogue (from their point of view) or maybe… Thousands of thoughts crossed her mind, making her start to panic. Her thoughts of what if's were interrupted when her phone pinged again.

Text - 1:40 PM

Robert Downey Jr.: **Stop thinking so hard and say yes.**

Diana clenched her jaw and paused before texting back a careful answer: **I'll only catalogue the past.**

Text - 1:40 PM

Robert Downey Jr.: **That's a good start.**

Diana sent another text as she realized he might be thinking of having her do the writing on a computer: **If I use a computer, it can't be connected to any network. Not even JARVIS.**

There was a pause.

Text - 1:42 PM

Robert Downey Jr.: **That's impossible.**

Robert Downey Jr.: **So I guess you'll be doing this the long way.**

Diana texted back again: **Even if I write it out, it CAN NOT go on a network.**

She sent that before writing another text: **Don't even scan it in. The information isn't safe anywhere.**

Text - 1:43 PM

Robert Downey Jr.: **It would be safe with JARVIS.**

Diana sighed as she thought of Ultron. Would knowing each of their full stories change his mind about humanity being a bunch of cockroaches that needed to be exterminated? She didn't know. She considered.

Robert Downey Jr.: **Come on, say yes.**

Robert Downey Jr.: **Don't make me use the p word. I hate using the p word.**

She rubbed her face and looked at her TV which showed this universe's version of the movie _The Covenant_. They'd replaced Sebastian Stan with Jensen Ackles who hadn't yet reached immense fame with _Supernatural_ , which also existed in this universe, at the time of the movie's release in 2006.

Well, maybe she could sort out all of the in-universe information and note the changes she'd made by writing down what she remembered from the original movies. HYDRA would soon be out in the open and Ultron would also quickly come and go.

Text - 1:44 PM

Robert Downey Jr.: **You're gonna make me use the p word, aren't you?**

Text - 1:45 PM

Robert Downey Jr.: **-sigh- Okay, fine. Please. Ugh.**

Diana laughed softly before texting back: **Okay, I'll come work for you, but everything stays off the grid until I say so.**

She added: **You can read it, but it doesn't go in a computer.**

Text - 1:46 PM

Robert Downey Jr.: **Awesome. Come to the Tower.**

Well, at least Diana knew what she'd be doing as an occupation for a while.

Diana spent time at Avengers Tower writing down the stories from the Marvel Cinematic Universe in gigantic notebooks with crummy illustrations. She also figured out that meditation helped with her memory, and she did that every day when she needed to concentrate on the next scene, episode, or movie. She decided to go chronological within the universe, so that meant starting with _Captain America: The First Avenger_ (without the prologue and the post-credits) before moving on to the TV show _Agent Carter_. For the first movie novelization, she actually enlisted Steve's help, asking him to draw pictures of all the Howling Commandos, plus Agent Carter, Howard Stark, and Colonel Phillips. The Captain was happy to oblige, and gave her some very lovely sketches the next time they had a movie night.

In order to keep the notebooks secure, Tony had a combination lock safe in her workroom where she could put her notebooks. She was also the only one who knew the combination (well, JARVIS did too, but she requested that he not tell Tony). Diana did let Tony read _Captain America: The First Avenger_ complete with Steve's illustrations as his early Christmas present just so he'd know a little bit about what Bucky was like before HYDRA got him. She wanted Tony to see how HYDRA had ripped Bucky to shreds when creating the Winter Soldier by comparing the two sides of the sniper once they met.

By mid-December, Diana had even catalogued the bits and pieces of events that happened during the Cold War with Antman and the Wasp, although she didn't mention that it was Hank Pym and his wife Janet under the masks. There was enough animosity between the Starks and the Pyms as it was, and she didn't need to add fuel to that smoldering fire. This had actually taken the longest to slog through during her meditations as the events were scattered throughout other films, and she had to go searching for them within her memories.

By the beginning of January, Diana was trying to decide whether she should write down the death of the Starks and the true reason they were killed as well as who had done it - although she'd simply call him the Winter Soldier. After a day or two of internal debate and writing, scribbling out, and rewriting the tragic event, she decided that it was only fair for Tony to come to terms with the real reason his parents died as well as their killer.

She'd also put forward the logical theory that it was Obadiah Stane who had tipped off HYDRA to Howard's creation of the serum as (considering his actions towards Tony in 2008) he had the most to gain from Howard being dead and would perhaps be the only one to know about the Super Soldier serum in his boss's trunk. Then Tony would have someone he already hated to blame more than the actual brainwashed killer. However, she'd wait until after SHIELD fell and the HYDRA documents were released before giving that notebook to Tony. Then he'd be able to sift through the real stuff and find the true evidence.

Just as she was finishing the with Starks' assassination, Diana received a text.

Text - 8:30 AM

Chris Evans: **Met a guy named Sam on my morning jog. He's an Air Force vet from the Iraq War.**

Diana smiled and texted back: **Glad you're making friends.**

Chris Evans: **Got a mission. Leaving in a few.**

She typed back quickly: **Be safe, punk. Text or call when you get back.**

Text - 8:31 AM

Chris Evans: **I will.**

Diana placed her phone to the side and began writing up _Ironman_. She knew the time of the Winter Soldier was getting closer. She'd have to wait for the Triskelion or Project Insight cues from Steve or Fury.


	13. Mission Report: January 9, 2014

**It's 10/4 (or at least a couple hours away from it since I won't be able to update in the morning and I don't want to wait until the afternoon/after work to update)... It's my birthday! SO! I decided to update and start on my favorite segment of my story:** ** _Captain America: The Winter Soldier_** **! Everyone has been waiting for this for several chapters. So, guess who's back... back again...? Bucky's back... tell a friend.**

 **I hope everyone enjoys the chapter. This is my present to everyone.**

 **Read and review!**

 ***FMttM***

On January 9, Diana woke up to her phone ringing. She reached for it and answered, "Hello?"

"Diana, it's Steve."

She rubbed her face, "Hey Stevie. Do you even know what time it is?" She sat up in her bed and glanced at her clock which read 7:27 AM, two minutes before her alarm was supposed to go off. She sighed as she heard the unintelligible apologies from the Captain, "Never mind. I was supposed to get up in a few minutes anyway. What's up?"

"Did you know there's an exhibit about me at the Smithsonian?"

"I did."

"I guess that's why you avoided the Smithsonian when you were here last year," he paused, "I think we should go."

"Really? I thought it'd be painful for you to see."

"I actually want to see if they'd let me take some of my belongings back," he told her, "if they even have anything I want. From the website overview, they mostly just have my stuff from the War and not much from before, but it wouldn't hurt to check."

"Okay. I'll be there in a half hour."

"See you soon." Then Steve hung up.

Diana rolled out of bed and, after getting dressed, sent a text to Tony: **I already covered several decades of info and need to take a break from writing.**

The answer came back quickly.

Text - 7:36 AM

Robert Downey Jr.: **K.**

She packed an overnight bag just in case and opened a portal to her room in Steve's apartment.

When she opened her door, the Captain was there to greet her, "You eaten yet?"

"Nope."

He grinned, "My friend Sam told me about this place called IHOP. It apparently has so many different kinds of pancake combinations that you'd never be able to try them all."

"I've been to the IHOP before. Their stuff is great."

"Okay, then, let's go!"

*FMttM*

Diana had always wanted to visit the Smithsonian. She picked up the map brochure and looked at the locations for all of the different exhibits. The Howling Commandos exhibit had two entire sections devoted to it for memorabilia and documents. It would only be showing until August when it would be rotated out and sent to the New York Historical Society Museum and Library for a few months.

"Come on." Steve nudged her and they walked toward the Howling Commandos exhibit. The actual living Captain tugged his baseball cap low on his head as they passed by a very large poster of him in his Cap Battle Fatigues posing with his first shield.

The first part of the Captain America portion of the exhibit gave a short insight into Steve's childhood with mentions of his parents and meeting Bucky for the first time. There were only a couple photos of little and teen Steve and Bucky (it was the Depression after all), but the Captain quietly told her a few stories when they came to certain artifacts in cases. There was even a set of Steve's clothes from his pre-serum days - a crisp white button-down collared shirt, dark trousers, and suspenders - lying on a bed that Steve said was way too neat to have been his. Apparently, before army training, he'd never made his bed. It was little tidbits like that, something that would never be mentioned in the MCU action extravaganzas, that continued to make this universe even more real for her.

Soon they reached the comparison panel where people could step up to a translucent alternating photo of Steve Rogers before and after the serum. Beside the panel were the his medical stats from what Diana assumed were from Doctor Erskine's observations and/or Steve's military records.

She let out a low whistle at the weight and medical conditions, "You were a leaf in the wind, Stevie."

He ducked his head, "Buck said many times that it was like I had one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel. I don't know if I'd be here if he hadn't been there."

She stepped up to the panel and stood a couple inches taller than pre-serum Steve. She turned to look at the Captain, "You were adorable." She saw his ears turn red, and she laughed, turning back to the panel to see it had changed to post-serum Steve, "I wish I'd known you then, before the serum." She stepped away from the panel, "It would've been nice to actually be a part of this universe."

Steve stepped up beside her, "You've helped all of us more than you know, Diana. I know you've helped me adjust. No one else offered or even thought to do it. So thank you for that."

"Well, it's kind of ridiculous to just leave someone, anyone, to their own devices after essentially being in a coma for half a century." Diana tried to evade the gratitude, "Besides, even if you'd just been out for a decade, you'd still be confused by some of the technology. It just changes that fast."

"That's probably true."

That's when they both noticed a kid about ten years old staring at them. Steve gave a smile and put his finger to his lips and let out a small, "Shh."

The kid simply nodded slowly, still completely in awe, and allowed Diana and Cap to continue on their way without making a scene.

They'd stopped in the main hall which displayed all of the uniforms for Captain America and the Howling Commandos. The two of them stood there staring and seeing the faces of their old comrades.

"I miss them." Steve murmured.

Diana stepped closer to her friend, "Yeah, me too." Her eyes lingered on Bucky's uniform with the replica navy blue coat and dark trousers.

After another moment, they both turned away from the display and headed into a side room which displayed a lot of the World War II memorabilia. Dum Dum's harmonica sat shinily in its own display case, the caption reading about how he'd periodically play after missions. Some of the guns the Commandos had used held prominent positions among the knick knacks.

"Diana!" Steve called to her, and she realized he'd gotten a little further ahead of her as she'd gotten caught up in reading the captions for the artifacts.

The blonde woman caught up to him, "Yeah, what -" She cut off when she noticed the contents of the display case. Like the harmonica and a few other items, it was in its own case.

It was her Colt. She skipped over the gun's stats and read the captain: _This 1889 Colt was only used during one mission - Attack on the Danish Straits - implying that this soldier did not see a lot of action. Speculation points to a one-time field medic, but the carrier of this gun has not been confirmed. Upon the request of Margaret Carter, this gun is displayed alongside the Howling Commandos._

"That's my gun." Diana pressed a finger to the glass and looked at Steve.

"I'm glad you get to be represented here." The Captain smiled, "You were important to the team."

"Morita took care of you more than I did."

"Yeah, but he could only do so much. He patched up Bucky in the field so we could move him, but they both needed your help to get Buck back on his feet again." A sly smile made its way over Steve's face, "And he never was the same after training you."

She cheeks flushed, and she turned to look at some of the other display cases. Finally, they rounded a corner and stopped dead. Bucky's face stared back at them from a near-transparent panel with a long caption on the side. A Fallen Comrade indeed.

Steve suddenly took her hand and squeezed it, "You okay?"

Diana took a deep breath, "I should've known I'd see that stupid face again some day." And she would. It wouldn't be long now. Maybe even only hours away.

"Come on." The Captain led her through the displays on Bucky's life, pausing only once when he spotted a video some journalist had made for the folks on the homefront. WWII Steve had a large smile on his face, and WWII Bucky was openly laughing hard at something his friend had said. Steve noticed that she was staring at the video too and tugged at her arm, "Sorry." He murmured, "I shouldn't have stopped."

"It's okay. I just can't help but wonder if Bucky will ever smile like that again."

The Captain's brows furrowed for a moment before he remembered, "I remember you said he'd be coming back."

"Yeah, and I think it'll be soon." She told him as the video clip repeated, and she watched Bucky laugh again and shake his head at whatever Steve had said. The two of them watched the silent clip one more time before finally moving on through the exhibit.

At the end was a compilation of photos, newscast videos (including one of Peggy from the 1950s), and finally YouTube videos from the Battle of New York. There was a banner above the pictures and news articles about the Incident saying, "Welcome back, Captain America!" There was even a photo of Captain America and Shieldmaiden standing back to back with their respective shields up and Thor, back turned, only a few paces away with his hammer raised over a Chitauri. It looked like it had been taken from a camera phone that had been zoomed in to its maximum because the image was quite pixelated. However the three Avengers were still fairly small in the photo.

"That's… unexpected." Diana commented.

Steve smirked, "You're part of the museum now and forever, Di."

"Hooray?"

"You should be proud of your service. You saved lives that day."

"If I'd realized earlier what day it was, I could've stopped the entire thing from happening if I wanted to."

"Everything happens for a reason, Di. God always has a plan."

She smiled at that, "It's been awhile since I've heard you talk openly about God."

Steve shrugged and gave a look of regret, "I haven't really had the time to think about it, and I haven't found a church that I'd like to go to."

"Matt's Catholic. I haven't been to his church, but like you, he's Irish-Catholic. And I've heard the priest there is really nice."

"Huh… Then guess I really need to talk to him soon."

They made their way out of the Captain America exhibit and toured the rest of that Smithsonian building before heading out for some lunch.

*FMttM*

Just after they'd finished lunch, Steve brought out a piece of paper and slid it over the tabletop to Diana, "I found this in one of the boxes SHIELD had given me of old photos and documents that they thought might belong to me. I don't know what this means."

The paper simply said "Peggy, AF Home, DC. Contact JSC." There was a ten digit number after that.

"Weird." Diana frowned and took out her phone. She typed in 'AF Home in DC' into her search, "Top search results are for the Armed Forces Retirement Homes here, but there are two of them." She looked up at Steve, "I bet Peggy's at one of these places!"

"You think so?" Steve asked, his eyes wide. Other than Diana, he hadn't been able to get in touch with anyone else from his time. It would slowly become more depressing when he found out each person he'd fought with was dead, dead, dead. Furthermore, SHIELD had kept him busy since the Battle of New York. Steve probably also wouldn't have known how to search for his old friends.

"I wonder who JSC. is…" She then stared at the number, typing it into her phone. Then she smacked her forehead, "I'm an idiot. This is a phone number." She pointed to the ten digits, "Probably for whoever JSC. is."

"Should we call it? The paper does say that JSC. is a contact."

"Sure, but you should call. It was given to you, so maybe JSC. is expecting a call from you."

Steve hesitated, "I guess so." He took out his phone and poked at it a few times, "Show me the number." Diana flipped the paper so the Captain could see the number the right way up. Using his index finger he pressed the numbers hard on his phone; Diana was amazed the screen didn't shatter under the harsh pressure. Steve then put the phone up to his ear.

Diana leaned forward to try to hear what was being said on the other end. There was one, two, three, four rings before a man picked up.

"Captain Rogers. I was wondering when I'd hear from you."

"Hello, umm… this is Steve Rogers." The Captain replied. Diana rolled her eyes and smirked a little, "I just found out that Agent Peggy Carter is at one of the Armed Forces Retirement homes, and I was wondering which one. We'd really like to visit her."

"We?"

"Yeah, Diana Larson is here too."

There was a pause, "My mom only told me about Diana Larson once, and that was during one of her... episodes." The man replied quietly, "I'm sure she'd like to see both of you if she's doing well today." There was another pause, "She's at the one on Rocky Creek."

"Thank you so much. What's your name, son?"

"James Steven Carter."

The Captain paused at the first and second names. He cleared his throat, "Well, thank you for the information, Mr. Carter. I hope one day I'll meet you."

"I'd be honored, Captain. Tell my mom I said 'hi' and 'sorry' that I won't be able to visit her today."

"I will. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Captain."

Steve hung up the phone and looked at Diana, "Well, you want to go see an old friend?"

"Let's do it."

*FMttM*

When the reached the front desk of the retirement home, several of the staff had paused when they saw that it was Captain America taking off a baseball cap out of respect for the veterans and other elderly people in the home. He stuffed his cap in his jacket pocket as he saw the guest book/sign in.

"I bet you're here to see Peggy." A young female staff member behind the desk said.

Steve gave a nod as he signed his name, "I just found out she was here."

The young woman glanced down at his signature, "Wow. That's better than any guy's handwriting I've ever seen. Some girl's too."

The Captain ducked his head a little as he handed the pen to Diana. She signed the book, "Well, it's not like they teach penmanship at school anymore." The blonde commented to the staff member.

"Yeah, I can remember doing a little cursive in third grade, but after that? Nothing." The woman's name tag said 'Jacie.' She gave them a smile, "I can take you two back to Peggy's room. You're in luck. She's having a good day today."

Steve and Diana followed Jacie, "A good day?" He asked.

Jacie looked over her shoulder with a frown, "Didn't anyone tell you?" They both shook their heads and the staff member gave them a compassionate, closed mouth smile, "She has Alzheimer's pretty bad. She'd got good days and bad. Sometimes she's stuck in World War II, asking for Colonel Phillips or Steve," Jacie glanced at the Captain before continuing, "other times she's asking for someone named Jarvis or Howard and on rare occasions Tony. When looking at her file, we assumed Howard was Howard Stark, Edwin Jarvis was his butler, and of course we all know who Tony Stark is." They rounded a corner and the staff member stopped in front of a closed door, "She likes it quiet when she doesn't have visitors. Noises can cause lapses in her memory."

"Thanks for taking us." Steve gave Jacie a smile.

She blushed, "No problem, sir. I mean, Captain. I mean -"

"Just Steve." He told her, "Or if you have to keep it formal with visitors, Mr. Rogers will do, I guess."

"Okay." Her face reddened a little more, "I'll probably see you when you leave." Jacie turned and practically ran back to the front desk.

Diana elbowed Steve, "Can't get away from the fangirls, can you, Stevie?"

He gave a long suffering sigh, "I guess that's how Bucky felt when the ladies lined up for him to take them dancing."

The blonde laughed, "How the tides have turned." Steve smiled and simply stood there. Diana arched an eyebrow, "Are you gonna go in? Or knock? Or something?"

He exhaled a little and knocked on the door. A voice from within called out, "Come in." The English accent was refreshing against all of the American accents of the DC area.

Steve pushed the door open and he and Diana entered Peggy Carter's two of them entered the crisp, white, sterile room. There were a few flowers on a ledge by the window and on a table next to the bed were several framed pictures. In the bed was a distinguished elderly woman.

"I was wondering when you'd be coming by." Peggy gave a small smile, "Steve, Diana, it's good to see you."

"Peggy." Steve said softly as he found chairs and pulled both near her bedside. They both sat and stared at the woman who had been their physical age only a few years ago in their memories.

"You look exactly the same." The former agent commented with a wry smile, "You both do. Although I suppose that's to be expected - frozen in ice and put in a magical stasis. I'm glad it worked, by the way, Diana."

"Me too." The blonde replied and bit her lip. Time had swallowed up the vivacious Peggy Carter. The woman still had her fire, Diana could see it in her eyes, but the energy around her had dimmed with her age.

The Captain folded his hands in front of him, "I'm sorry that we never got to dance."

"You're forgiven for everything, Steve. I've made peace with what happened long ago." Peggy reached out toward him, and Steve took her hand, "Oh… look at my hand." She moved her wrinkled fingers in the Captain's grip, "It's an old woman's hand." She looked up at the man she had fallen in love with so long ago, "How did that happen? It sometimes seems like it was only yesterday we were together with the SSR, laughing in the Mess at a joke Barnes or Dugan told."

Steve clenched his jaw and looked at the pictures on the table, "Are those your children?"

Peggy smiled, "Yes. They are the light of my life."

"I'm glad you found someone who could make you happy."

The old woman's smile was almost coy, "He did make me happy. He gave me two wonderful children." She motioned to a picture of a young man, "James Steven, my eldest-I believe you spoke to him before coming here."

"We did." Diana answered.

Peggy nodded and motioned to a photo of a young woman, "And my daughter - Charlotte Diane."

"They're beautiful kids."

"Thank you."

Steve squeezed the old woman's hand, "You should be proud of yourself, Peggy." .

The former agent nodded, "I have lived a good and full life. I loved a good man, and been well loved in return." Peggy looked over at the pictures. She gave a small, weary smile, "My only regret is that you never got to live your life with those you loved."

"We've found a place here with new friends and loved ones." Diana told Peggy, "I don't know if you remember Luke Murdock, but I know his grandson Matt pretty well."

"Oh, I remember Luke. He joined the SSR for a while after the War" The former agent replied, "He left when he married, and his son was born. He disappeared sometime in the early '60s, leaving his family behind." Peggy paused, "What's his grandson like?"

Diana smiled, "Matt's a lawyer. He studied at Columbia University and graduated Summa Cum Laude with Honors. He's really sharp. He doesn't let the fact that he's blind get in his way."

"A blind lawyer." Peggy laughed a little, "Well, I suppose that puts new meaning to the phrase 'Justice is blind.' I'm glad the both of you have been able to make connections in this time." Steve was staring out the window, and Peggy squeezed the hand she was still holding, "What is it?"

He looked back at her, "For as long as I can remember I just wanted to do the right thing. I guess I'm just not sure what the right thing is anymore. And I thought I could just jump back in and follow orders, serve my country like I did during the War, but… It's just not the same."

Peggy chuckled, "You're always so dramatic. Look, you saved the world. We rather… mucked it up."

"You didn't. Knowing that you helped found SHIELD is half the reason I stay." He assured her.

"There are really no clear enemies anymore," Diana pointed out, "not like the Nazis or HYDRA anyway, that are overt and come at you screaming with guns a-blazing. Anyone like that is so far underground they might as well be on the other side of the globe. HYDRA, The Hand, AIM, and many other organizations slither in the sewers, waiting and watching for the perfect moment to strike."

"I heard about AIM's involvement with attacks on Tony Stark." Peggy said, "It's a sad day when businessmen must kill each other to get ahead in the world. But The Hand… there were only rumors and whispers about them and those who fight them - I believe they are called the Chaste. The SSR and SHIELD never found out much about the Hand other than a connection to the Chinese Triad and perhaps the Japanese Yakuza."

"You've done the best you could under the circumstances." Steve told the former agent, "I don't think you could've done much more with the technology you had at your disposal."

"I suppose you're right. The world has changed so much since I retired, and none of us can go back. All we can do is our best, and sometimes the best that we can do is to start over." Peggy then started coughing harshly.

Steve let go of her hand and turned to get her some water. Diana watched as the former agent's eyes became unfocused for a second before refocusing as Steve turned back with a cup of water.

"Steve?" She whispered in an awed voice.

"Yeah?"

"You're alive!" With those words, Steve and Diana realized what had happened. Peggy had forgotten, had a memory lapse. "You-you came… you came back."

He smiled, but it was strained, "Yeah, Peggy."

"And Diana! You said you wouldn't be back until 2011!" She exclaimed.

The blonde tried her best to smile, but she felt tears coming to her eyes. She tried to keep them at bay, "Yeah, well, duty calls."

Peggy herself began to cry, "It's been so long… So, so long." A few tears made their way down her cheeks, "I missed you both so very much."

Steve set the cup aside and took Peggy's hand again, "Well, I couldn't leave my best girl. Not when she owes me a dance."

"Oh Steve…" She squeezed his hand, "I would love to dance, but…I don't think I can. I feel so weak right now." Her gaze darted around her room, "Am I sick? Did you two find me and bring me here?"

"You're safe, Peggy." Diana placed her hand on Steve and Peggy's clasped ones, "We've come back to help you."

"I'm glad your back. I'm so glad you're here." The old woman relaxed into her pillows, closing her eyes. Her breathing evened out as she fell asleep.

The Captain sat there staring at the woman he had loved, glassy blue eyes blinking rapidly, "Why…?" He asked softly, "Why did all of this have to happen to us? We served our country, fought for freedom and for those who couldn't. Why were our old lives ripped from us? Bucky fell from the train. I was frozen for almost half a century and you," he looked to Diana, "lost so much in the short time you'd been with us - your family, your home. Why is this happening to us?"

The blonde bit her lip, "I don't know, Steve. I wish I knew. This universe isn't the series of movies I watched back home anymore. I wish this were a movie. Easy answers with endings wrapped up in a bow. The good guys are always brave, honest, and noble, and the bad guys can be identified by their horns or black hats and twirled mustaches. And good will always, always triumph over evil and save the day…" She paused to blink away tears before adding, "And nobody ever dies; everybody lives and gets their happy ending."

Diana looked over at Steve who had a far away look on his face, "But… that's not how the real world works. Reality is a mess of gray areas, and we get one, finite life. This is our fight to live life to the fullest, whether we sit on the couch every day watching TV or go out and make a mark on the world. It's always gonna be bloody; it's always gonna be painful... especially for us. But maybe that's how it's gotta be."

Steve nodded, "We should go and let Peggy sleep. We can always come back another time."

"Okay."

*FMttM*

That evening, Steve took Diana to the local Veterans Association to meet his new friend Sam Wilson. They both waited out in the hall as Sam finished up his counselling session with a woman who had been on tour in Iraq recently and was having trouble adjusting back to civilian life.

"You know, I wonder if Adam Driver's Arts in the Armed Forces could help with some of this." Diana wondered aloud.

"What's that?" Steve asked.

"Oh, well, Adam Driver is an actor was in the Marines, but got so badly injured that he couldn't go on tour. So he instead attended Juilliard and became an actor. I think he's in a TV show called _Girls_ right now." She explained, "Anyway, because of his experience in the Marines, he created Arts in the Armed Forces where people go out to military personnel and bring theatre - Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Tennessee Williams and stuff. It's something a lot of those guys don't, can't, or won't see when they're civilians, so the Foundation brings it to them."

"Huh. I can see that." The Captain nodded, "There aren't many soldiers who went to Art School either, at least not in my time. I don't know about now. You should mention that to Sam. He might know how to get into contact with them."

A woman walked past them, pausing only to look over her shoulder, wide-eyed as she stared at Captain America. Steve gave her a smile and a nod of his head, which caused the woman to blush, turn, and continue on her original path out of the building.

"Well, look who it is." Sam Wilson stepped out of the other room, "Captain America come to slum it with us lowly common soldiers." Sam's eyes landed on Diana, and he gave a charming smile, "Hello, what have we here?" He drawled in a way that made him sound like Lando Calrissian.

She smiled and held out her hand, "Diana Larson."

Sam took her hand and looked to Steve, "Damn, Cap! Have you been holding out on me? You never told me you had a gorgeous girl like this up your sleeve."

The Captain's ears turned a little red, "Diana's an old friend."

"And when you say old friend, you mean…"

"It's complicated and was extremely classified." Diana explained.

"Okay." Sam said before shifting topic, "So, what can I do for you two young looking World War II vets?"

"We heard the last couple minutes of your final session." Steve explained.

"Yeah, it does get pretty intense sometime," Sam's expression became serious, "but we all got the same problems. Guilt. Regret. Grief."

"You lose someone?" The Captain asked.

"Yeah, my wingman. His name was Riley. We were flying a night PJ rescue op, nothing we hadn't done a thousand times before, until an RPG knocked Riley's dumb ass out of the sky. Nothing I could do. It's like I was up there just to watch."

"The train…" Diana murmured, thinking how helpless she had felt while waiting for Steve and Bucky to return from capturing Zola. She'd tried to help, but it was all for nothing, and Bucky still fell, still became the Winter Soldier she'd seen on the rooftop a little over a month ago.

Steve gave Sam a compassionate, yet sad look, perhaps thinking of the same event as Diana, "I'm sorry." The Captain told his fellow soldier.

"After that, I had really hard time finding a reason for being over there, you know?"

"But you're happy now, back in the world?"

"Hey, the number of people giving me orders is down to about zero. So, hell yeah. Either of you thinking about getting out?"

"I was never really officially IN the military. Sure I got the papers, but I technically didn't go through the correct routes, and most of my paperwork was faked anyway," Diana explained, "and I prefer to avoid super secret militaristic organizations like the plague. I like to be a bit more street level unless there's an apocalypse happening. I'll defend and micromanage my ten block radius with the Devil and a Fist if I have to, thank you very much." She smirked a little at her puns.

"I guess you probably have a little leeway since you're an Avenger and all. Plus, being besties with Captain America might help things." Sam looked amused.

"I don't know what I'd do if I left SHIELD." Steve admitted, "I don't have any place to really call home anymore. Brooklyn doesn't really feel like home considering how much it's changed, and I've been in and out on missions so much that I haven't really had time to completely settle. Plus it's only because of Diana that I don't have to carry around a small notebook to write down things I don't know about from this time."

"You've still got gaps, Cap. Your girl here can only do so much."

Steve's ears began to turn red again at the implication of Diana being his 'girl' as in 'girlfriend.' "Err… Diana's not… we're just…"

"Steve's like my adorable labrador golden retriever big brother." She saved the Captain from trying to explain himself.

Sam grinned, "I know. I'm just teasing. It's hilarious how embarrassed Cap gets sometimes."

"You know what? I think you already earned yourself a nickname."

"Oh yeah?"

"Chocolaccino." Diana grinned.

"Chocolaccino?" Sam arched an eyebrow, "Where'd you get that from?"

"Sebastian Stan." Was her quick come back, knowing that while Sam wouldn't understand the Captain most definitely would.

Steve looked surprised, "They get along?"

Diana shrugged, "Kind of-sort of. It's old bestie versus new bestie, so the competition is fierce. There's even a broken steering wheel, a ripped wing, and some squashed legroom involved."

"Okay, what's going on? Who's Sebastian Stan? 'Cause I sure don't know who that is, much less why he'd give me the nickname Chocolaccino."

Steve and Diana exchanged a look, "Well," she clasped her hands behind her back, "have we got a story for you."

"Can you secure this place?" The Captain asked, realizing that she trusted Sam enough to tell him her story.

"Sure. Just let me lock up, and we can go into the conference room to talk." Sam nodded.

After he secured the VA, the three of them walked into the room Sam had come from and sat in the metal chairs as Diana told her story.

"So let me get this straight:" Sam put up a hand, "You're from a different universe where all the major players in this universe are actors? And my name's Anthony Mackie in your world?"

"Yup." Diana nodded.

"And what's with the nicknames?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. It's Sebastian Stan. I can't even hazard a guess as to how he thinks."

"Okay. This is just plain weird." Sam said, "First aliens during the Incident and now extra-dimensional people? What's next? Super powerful mutants with supernatural powers?"

"If it's any consolation," Steve put in, "there was a short debate between Peggy and Colonel Phillips from the SSR about whether or not HYDRA had just scrambled her brains so bad that she could make up crazy stories like that and make herself believe they were true."

"No one ever told me about that." Diana looked to the Captain, "I mean, I knew Colonel Phillips was debating with himself, but I didn't know Peggy was involved."

Steve shrugged, "The point became moot when your knowledge proved to be true. The Colonel decided you had to be telling the truth. Plus, knowing the HYDRA facility we'd just destroyed was more of a weapons factory than a POW camp helped him change his mind too."

Sam suddenly let out a big yawn, "After a story like that, now that it's," he glanced at the clock on the wall, "after midnight, I think we could all use a bit of sleep."

"Okay." Steve stood from his seat, "I'll probably see you on our morning run."

The other man looked a bit petulant for a second before looked to Diana, "You gonna join us on our early morning run?"

"Me? Run? Well, I could, but I've been practicing more with parkour than anything else."

"I guess that would help with street level stuff. How long have you been doing that?" Sam asked as he folded up the three metal chairs.

"I've actually been in a supporting role rather than actively seeking out criminals to punch in the face. So not too much."

Sam laughed, "Well, at least someone's out there helping out the average Joe." He moved the chairs to the side of the room where there were folded tables and more folded metal chairs.

"It's a dangerous job, but someone's gotta do it, especially since the cops in Hell's Kitchen are so corrupt they'd turn on each other like rabid dogs if given even the tiniest incentive."

The three of them headed toward the door.

"It was nice meeting you, Diana." Sam held out his hand again, "And if you ever need anything, Cap's got my number. Give a call any time."

"Thanks, Sam." She took his hand to shake.

He pouted, "Not gonna use my new nickname?"

Diana grinned and squeezed his hand, "Thanks Chocolaccino."

Sam grinned as their hands dropped and turned to the Captain, "Steve, I swear if you pass me more than ten times on our next run, I'll murder you with a shovel."

The blond man couldn't help but laugh, "Okay, I'll run slowly."

"Slowly?!" Sam scoffed, "That's still a sprint for me!"

"Best I can do on such short notice."

"Damn!"

"Language." Steve chided, glancing toward Diana.

Sam chuckled, "Been a while since someone's scolded me for cursing. Didn't soldiers curse in your time?"

"Sure they did, but not within earshot of me." The Captain replied, "Pretty sure Bucky told them all about my cursing pet peeve."

"It was the journalists." Diana added, "Whenever they came around, Steve's 'Language!' thing got a lot worse."

"I'll keep that in mind for the future." Sam gave a wave as he dug out his keys for his car.

"See ya!" Diana waved back as she and Steve headed toward his motorcycle, "Sam's pretty cool."

"Yeah, he's a great guy and a great friend. He sometimes reminds me of Bucky." The Captain looked a bit nostalgic.

"He's got that charm and swagger, that's for sure." Diana put on her helmet and yawned widely, "I think I'm gonna collapse once we get back to your place."

"That sounds like a great idea." Steve told her as he mounted and revved up the motorcycle.

*FMttM*

As Steve and Diana climbed up the stairs to the Captain's apartment they ran into a blonde woman on her cell phone holding a laundry basket full of clothes.

"That's so sweet. That is so nice. Hey. I gotta go, though. Okay, bye." The woman hung up the phone, and Diana realized at that moment that Sharon Carter had been talking to Peggy about her and Steve's visit. Sharon - although Steve currently didn't know her by that name - turned to the two of them with a slightly embarrassed smile, "My aunt, she's kind of an insomniac." She hefted her laundry basket.

"Hey, if you want...if you want, you're welcome to use my machine. Might be cheaper than the one in the basement." Steve offered and Diana rolled her eyes.

Sharon's eyes darted to Diana, "Oh, no. I don't think your girlfriend would -"

"Oh no, she's not my girlfriend." Steve replied hastily as his ears turned a bit red, "She's like my sister."

"Oh." The other woman's eyes brightened a bit, "Well, then, what's it cost?"

"How 'bout a cup of coffee?" The Captain smiled shyly.

Sharon gave him an apologetic look, "Thank you, but um...I already have a load in downstairs, and, uh...you really don't want my scrubs in your machine. I just finished orientation in the infectious diseases ward, so."

"Ah, well, I'll keep my distance."

"Well hopefully not too far." The woman openly flirted, "Oh, and I think you left your stereo on."

Steve glanced at Diana with a frown before looked back at Sharon, "Oh, right, thank you."

"Of course!" The woman smiled and began to head down the stairs to the laundry room.

Diana elbowed Steve with a grin, "You go, Cap."

His face fully flushed, "I barely know her."

"You know her enough to practically ask her out."

Steve gave her a side glance as he dug out his keys, "Oh be quiet." He paused before unlocking the door, stepping closer to it to press his ear against it, "She was right," he murmured, "there is some music playing."

Diana's expression changed from teasing to serious, "Should I…" She showed her bracelets.

The Captain shook his head and put a finger to his lips, "I'll go through the window, grab my shield," he whispered, "and let you in when the coast is clear."

"Or I could just portal into my room, and wait for your signal to come out."

Steve's eyebrows went up as the wheels in his head turned, "That'll work. Do it."

Diana took out her Sling ring and created a portal to her room. She stuck her head through to survey whether there was anyone in there before stepping through. Steve had, by that time, vanished down the stairs and was probably climbing the fire escape.

Once she'd stepped through the portal, she wiped it away. In the living room, Diana could hear the dulcet sounds of smooth jazz playing. Moments later, she heard the window from Steve's room open followed by it closing ever so quietly.

Then, she heard Steve say, "I don't remember giving you a key."

"You really think I need one?" Nick Fury's voice replied, and Diana relaxed a little. Wait… if Fury was in Steve's apartment, then…

Fury continued, "My wife kicked me out."

Diana threw open her door and strode into the living room, "I guess she got tired of you asking where your super suit was."

"Miss Larson, what a pleasant surprise." Fury drawled.

"I didn't know you were married." Steve's brows furrowed.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me."

"I know, Nick. That's the problem." Steve reached over and turned on a light. His eyes widened when he took in the SHIELD Director's current state.

The Captain opened his mouth to say something, but Fury held up a hand and turned his phone toward the two of them.

Text: **Ears everywhere.**

"I'm sorry I have to do this," Fury said aloud, "but I had no place else to crash."

"Looks like your wife clocked you good." Diana said, "You want some ice or a band aid or something?"

"No. I'll be alright." He replied as he showed another text.

Text: **SHIELD compromised.**

Steve cocked his head to the side, "Who else knows about your wife?"

"Just… my friends." Fury answered as he showed another text.

Text: **The three of us.**

"Is that what we are?"

"Steve," Diana said, "we don't know how long Nick will need to be here, so you might as well let him stay. I'll be leaving back to New York soon anyway, so he can have my room then."

Suddenly Fury's back arched as he was shot three times through a wall. He collapsed to the floor with a groan.

"Nick!" Diana was at his side in a second, readying a healing spell.

"Don't." Fury ground out. Steve grabbed Fury and with Diana's help dragged him into Diana's room. The SHIELD Director held up a small flash drive, "Don't... trust anyone." Fury's head lolled to the side as he faded into unconsciousness.

BAM!

Steve was on his feet again at the sound of his door breaking open, "Captain Rogers?" His neighbor called out. A gun appeared in the doorway before Sharon followed it. She relaxed her stance slightly, "I'm Agent 13 of SHIELD Special Service."

"Kate?" The Captain frowned.

"Sharon." Diana corrected, which made the other woman look at her surprised.

"How - No, tell me later." Sharon shook her head, "Captain, I was assigned to protect you."

"On whose orders?"

The agent sucked in a breath when she saw her unconscious boss, "His." She knelt at Fury's side and touched an earpiece, "Foxtrot is down and unresponsive. I need EMTs yesterday!"

"Do you have a twenty on the shooter?" They could hear the other SHIELD agent through Sharon's earpiece.

Steve glanced out the window and at a shadow sprinting across the rooftop, "Tell them I'm in pursuit." The super soldier was on his feet in a second, "Diana, stay with them and see if you can do something for Director Fury."

"But-"

"I don't have time to argue. I need to get this guy!"

Diana swallowed. That was Bucky out there - memoryless, yes, but still Bucky. She looked at the dying man on the floor and licked her lips, "Okay. Be careful, ya punk."

Steve gave her a quick smile, "Always." Then he was gone.

"What did Steve mean when he said you could do something for the Director?" Sharon asked.

"I can't get the bullets out; it doesn't work like that, but I can heal some of his injuries to give him a better chance." Diana raised her hands and started casting her magic.

"How-" The agent cut off when Diana's hands glowed softly.

"Magic." The blonde passed her hands over some of Fury's more superficial wounds, which faded instantly. Then, with a few more signs, Diana went to his fractured arm and healed that as well. Diana exhaled, "If I'm gonna do anything about the bullet wounds, I need to know what I'm dealing with."

Sharon snapped out of her gaping and rolled Fury onto his stomach, "He's not gonna be happy about this."

"Fury's gonna have to shut up and deal with it. He might be a badass mother fucker, but everyone needs help sometimes." Diana examined the bullet wounds with a frown, "This is bad. How long until the EMTs get here?"

"I don't know. What can you do?"

"Not much. I don't have what I need to dig the shrapnel out and tweezers wouldn't reach them without making things worse. All we can do is staunch the wounds so he doesn't bleed out." Diana was on her feet and rushing to the bathroom to get some towels.

As she returned to the room, Steve came in through his window, "He's gone. How's Fury?"

"I healed the wounds he had when he got here, but the bullets are another story."

The two of them re-entered Diana's room and used the towels to bandage Fury's bullet wounds.

"What about the shooter?" Sharon asked.

"He got away." Steve reiterated what he told Diana, "I threw my shield at him and he caught it! I think his arm was made of metal."

The agent frowned, "I've never heard of any operatives with a metal arm. I didn't think that kind of tech was possible. Even now with Stark heading the tech world, prosthetics haven't changed."

"I don't think it's something Tony has explored yet." Diana pointed out, "He's been concentrating on his Arc technology and clean energy." She pressed gently on the towels on Fury's back, "Goddammit. Where are those EMTs?"

"Language." Steve chided softly.

Diana sent him an exasperated glare, but didn't say anything.

Sharon pressed her earpiece, "Where are those EMTs I asked for?!"

"One minute out." Came the reply.

A few minutes later, EMTs loaded the SHIELD Director onto a gurney and wheeled him out of Steve's apartment.

"Come on. My car is outside." Sharon told them.


	14. Mission Report: January 10, 2014

**Now comes the biggest change ever made to the MCU! I hope you like the change, and I hope that it makes sense. Sam and Tony have the loudest voices in my head... followed by Foggy.**

 **Please read, enjoy, and review!**

 ***FMttM***

Fury was taken to a special SHIELD hospital - or maybe it was one of their secret guest houses, like the one Phil Coulson had been taken to for Project TAHITI. They were not allowed into the surgery, so they had to watch through one of the windows.

Natasha arrived soon after they did, "Is he gonna make it?"

"I don't know." Steve told the Black Widow.

"I did what I could for most of his wounds, but the bullets are another story. My healing spells don't really take projectiles into account when healing."

The redhead nodded, "I'm sure you did your best." She looked to the Captain, "Tell me about the shooter."

"Fast. Strong." Steve thought back to his encounter, "He had a metal arm that was powerful enough to catch my shield and throw it back at me. He even knocked me back a few paces with that throw."

Natasha frowned as Agent Maria Hill approached them. The Black Widow spoke first, "Ballistics?"

"Three slugs. No rifling. Completely untraceable." Hill answered.

"Soviet made?"

"Yeah."

Suddenly several alarms went off in the surgery and the doctors began to scurry around gathering a defibrillator.

"I can save him!" Diana tried to bolt toward the surgery door, but Hill grabbed her arm.

"Let the doctors do their work."

"You don't understand. I can save him!" The blonde insisted. He wouldn't have to fake his death.

"We have the best medical staff. I don't think there's anything more you can do."

"Let go before I make you." Diana growled.

"It -"

"Let her go in there." Natasha ordered.

Hill looked at the Black Widow incredulously, "But she's not -"

"She has more than science at her fingertips. Let her go save the Director."

Hill let Diana go and the blonde darted through the door, but it was too late. Just as Diana entered the surgery, one of the doctor's announced, "Time of death: 1:03 AM."

"No." The blonde breathed. Was he really dead? Or was he faking like he had in the movie? She had to take a look at the spiritual realm. That would give her the answered she needed.

Diana entered her astral form and bent time so that she would only be gone for a few milliseconds. She took a good look at Fury's body and saw the faint glow of light that indicated life in the spiritual realm. She returned to her body and stood in the doorway motionlessly for a few seconds.

Steve and Natasha entered the room with Agent Hill following behind them. The Black Widow put her hands on the hospital bed and leaned over her boss's, her mentor's, seemingly dead body with her eyes squeezed shut. Steve put a hand on the redhead's shoulder.

"I need to take him." Hill told them.

"Natasha…" The Captain addressed her. The red head didn't answer, but reached out her hand to run her fingers over Fury's covered head and face. She then spun around and stormed out the door, barely missing smashing into Diana on her way out. Steve followed her with Diana right behind him, "Natasha!" He called out.

She then turned on them, "Why was Fury in your apartment?"

"I don't know. He -"

Rumlow approached them and addressed Steve, "Cap, they want you back at SHIELD."

"Just give me a second." The Captain requested.

"They want you now."

"The Director just died." Diana ground out, "He'll return when he's ready to return. So go away."

"You don't have a say in this, sweetie. So keep your pretty little mouth shut."

That was interesting. HYDRA still obviously didn't see her as a real threat. Well, they were going to be in for a huge surprise when she stole their Asset and beat their asses with his strength on her side.

Natasha was still glaring at Steve, "You know, you're a terrible liar." She turned and walked away.

The Captain stepped close to Diana and took her hand. Within his was the flash drive, "Keep this safe while I'm gone."

"I will." She gripped the flash drive and slipped it into her own pocket when Steve stepped away.

"I'm ready to go."

With one last glance at Diana, Rumlow led the Captain away.

*FMttM*

Diana Sling portaled to Avengers Tower, "TONY!"

"Welcome back, Miss Larson. I shall alert Sir of your arrival," JARVIS addressed her.

"Thanks JAR. I might need your help with a super top secret flash drive that Fury gave to Steve."

Moments later a door opened and Tony strode in, "Glinda! How goes it with our resident witch?"

"Not a witch, Tony. More of a sorceress. A witch usually needs a focus, like a wand or staff. I don't." Diana rolled her eyes, "I need your help." She held out the flash drive.

"Ooo. JARVIS said something about a super secret SHIELD flash drive." He plucked it from her hand.

"It's not SHIELD's. Well, it is, but is isn't." She explained and Tony arched an eyebrow at her, "It's HYDRA."

"HYDRA? I thought they were all dead!"

"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place." Diana quoted their motto, "The SSR hired Arnim Zola as a scientific advisor, and he was one of those guys who dedicated his life to a cause, but refused to die for it. Those types are more dangerous than the people who are the cannon fodder."

"Because they can burrow in somewhere else and spread their ideals." Tony understood, "Okay, come with me."

They entered one of Tony's labs and he plugged the flash drive into a computer, "JARVIS, do a scan of the drive for homing beacons, bugs, viruses, trojans, everything and anything the bastards could use to track us."

"Yes, sir." There was a brief pause before the AI continued, "The drive had several homing beacons and old viruses, but I was able to clean them out. There was, however, an intricate AI program which is protecting the information. It tried to hide from me by going through a trace back to what I surmise is its original source."

"Follow it." Tony ordered, "And show me the origin on screen when you get there."

"Yes sir." It only took a few moments before a map appeared on the computer screen, "I believe that location is Camp Lehigh in New Jersey." JARVIS informed them.

"What else can you tell me about what's on the drive?" Tony asked. There was a pause as the screen changed to various folders and files. "This'll take a while. JARVIS, make a copy and transfer all files to a secure server." The genius, billionaire cracked his knuckles, "Alright, now to find out some HYDRA secrets."

"Look up the Winter Soldier," Diana told him, "He's the guy who shot Nick Fury."

"I never thought anyone could pull one over on that pirate." Tony tried to joke, "Maybe he just didn't see it coming."

"He's officially dead."

"Dead? Like dead-dead or Agent-dead, 'cause I know SHIELD thinks they're being sneaky hiding Agent, but I'm me. I've caught him on camera's too many times to think he's as dead as SHIELD says he is."

"Nicholas J. Fury was pronounced dead at one am this morning." Diana reported. Then she leaned forward, "But between you and me, that BAMF is totally alive and getting ready to kick HYDRA ass."

A vicious grin spread over Tony's face, "Well, then, in the name of that pirate, I'm gonna tear apart those files on the Winter Soldier. They won't know what hit them."

*FMttM*

Diana went to her workroom in the tower and retrieved the notebook which contained Tony's parents' deaths. It would be best if he knew now about HYDRA's involvement and their use of the Winter Soldier Asset as their weapon. She sat on her office chair to read her recounting of the assassination of the Starks again.

When she was finished, she gathered her courage and returned to Tony's workroom. He was sitting there looking pale and ill. How long had she been gone? She dug out her phone in her pocket. Only an hour. What had happened to Tony in one hour that would make him look like that? Diana then looked at the computer screen and saw a video file was pulled up.

"Tony?"

"You know, I always thought of HYDRA in the context of history, like the Nazis." He told her, his jaw worked a little, "I never really thought too hard about what they did to people because I thought they were gone." Tony turned to look at her, "Did you know there's a seventy year long file about this Winter Soldier guy that they forcefully made into their own personal assassin?" The older man grimaced, "What happened to me in Afghanistan was peanuts compared to what they did to him."

"How far did you get into the file?"

"Only scattered written reports from the late 40s and throughout the 50s." Tony said, "Then I skipped ahead because the details were starting to make me queasy. They mutilated and humiliated him. They forced drugs into his system and made him hallucinate through all his senses in order to break him. There were details of disciplinary action for various offenses, mostly talking back." The corner of the billionaire's lips twitched in a very quick smirk before turning serious again, "Apparently he liked to talk smack to the soldiers before they beat it out of him. Zola wrote a lot of notes and took perverse pleasure in the amount of control he had over the Soldier."

Tony's finger tapped the computer table, "After that, I changed to the video feeds. I kind of wish I hadn't. This," he indicated the screen, "was the last one I watched - a ten minute sequence showing how they wiped his memories with an electroshock-type machine. How that guy is still alive, I don't have a clue."

Diana bit her lip, "It gets worse, Tony." She set the notebook down in front of him, opened to the correct page.

"What's this? You rarely show me your notebooks."

"This one's important. It's the one I finished before all this happened." She told him, "And please, please don't be mad at me when you're done reading it."

"Why would I be mad?"

"Because your parents' deaths were not an accident."

Tony froze, his eyes wide, and any color that was left in his face drained away, "What?"

"Just… read it. I'll be in my workroom if you want to come yell at me when you're done." Diana turned and practically fled the lab.

She sat in her chair, twiddling her thumbs for a little while when her phone vibrated. She had a text from an unknown number.

Text - 8:24 AM

Unknown: **Hey girl. We're at the mall wondering where you are.**

Diana frowned and texted back: **Who is this?**

Unknown: **We've only met a couple times, but you know my bf: Chris Evans.**

Diana realized who it was and added Scarlett Johansson to her contacts. The blonde then texted back: **Oh, hey ScarJo.**

She added another text: **Chris forgot to tell me which mall. Where you at?**

Text - 8:25 AM

Scarlett Johansson: **I want your ideas for where we should go on a honeymoon.**

Diana returned a text: **Well, Chris is a World War II buff.**

She sent a second text: **I bet he'd love to visit the old training camps on the East Coast.**

Then a third text: **I think his grandpa trained at Camp Lehigh in Wheaton, NJ.**

Scarlett Johansson: **That's a great idea! I'll tell him. Thnx!**

Diana sent another text: **I'm here with Robert Downey Jr. He helped me with those files I couldn't read.**

Text - 8:26 AM

Scarlett Johansson: **So that's why you completely forgot about meeting us at the mall.**

Diana texted back: **Sorry!**

Scarlett Johansson: **Well, the least you could do is bring Robert when you meet us for lunch.**

Diana understood what Natasha wanted - to meet at Camp Lehigh: **Okay.**

She Googled how long it would take Natasha and Steve to drive to Camp Lehigh and came up with almost three hours. Maybe Diana could convince Ironman to join in as air support with Falcon. Tony certainly had the motive to kick some HYDRA ass.

*FMttM*

The door to her workroom slammed open a little over two hours later, and Tony stood there clutching the notebook.

"Is this true?" He asked flatly.

"As far as I know, yes."

"HYDRA had my parents killed so they could get their hands on more super soldier serum. I found the file in one of the mission reports for the Winter Soldier."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."

"I'm gonna kill them." Tony ground out, his hand squeezing the notebook, "Everyone in HYDRA is as good as dead once I'm through with them."

"What about the Winter Soldier? He was the one they used to kill your parents." She hoped Tony wouldn't put any of the blame on Bucky, but she had to ask.

Ironman's jaw worked, as if he was chewing on his answer, "After seeing how he was treated for years… I'll try not to kill him. No promises, though."

"Natasha and Steve are heading to Camp Lehigh so we can investigate the trace we found."

"You know," Tony's expression bordered on cruel, "I've made a new suit. Pepper would probably kill me for doing it, but… HYDRA killed my parents. I think she'll forgive me for using it this once."

"Yeah, we should take it with us."

"What about you, Shieldmaiden? Where is your suit?"

"My robes are just as conspicuous as your Ironman suit."

"Hum… I'll make you something new later, then."

As Tony went to get his suit, Diana returned the notebook to the safe and retrieved the flash drive, not really remembering whether it would be needed at the Camp.

"Here." He handed her a device, "Stick it in your ear so we can communicate if we get separated. The channel is secure. Since only JARVIS and the people wearing these specific earpieces can hear each other; J will stop any hackers."

"Thanks, Tony. Do you have pieces for Steve and Natasha?"

The billionaire rolled his eyes, "Of course I'll bring one for the Capsicle and the Widow."

Diana nodded and slipped on her Sling ring.

"Ooo, are we gonna do some of that magic travel of yours?" Tony asked, a silver briefcase in one hand.

Diana smiled, "Yup." She waved her hand in a circular motion and created a portal to Camp Lehigh.

Tony strode around the portal, "That's amazing! It's like you created a wormhole or a rip between two spaces! I wish I had more time to analyze it, but we've got work to do." He stepped through the portal.

Once she stepped through, Diana wiped out the portal, "I don't know how long we'll have to wait before Steve and Natasha get here." She turned and saw that Tony had in fact suited up.

"I'm gonna check the perimeter." He told her, his voice distorted by his suit's speaker.

Diana looked around. Everything was completely overgrown since it hadn't been used in years, "This place gives me the creeps." As she walked around a building that looked like a barracks, she put in the earpiece Tony had given her and pressed it to turn it on.

"Shieldmaiden, can you hear me?" Tony's voice came through too loudly and Diana winced.

"Yeah. It's a bit loud, but I can hear you."

"Awesome. Cap and Widow are approaching the other side of the base from the road. They're about two minutes out."

"Thanks. I'll head in that direction."

"I've also figured out which building that signal was coming from." Tony informed her, "I'll meet you on the other side of the base."

Diana quickly jogged across the army base to where she could see the main road. She could hear a car approaching and watched as Ironman touched down. His suit became a briefcase again, "Thirty seconds." He told her as he approached.

The car approached and skidded to a stop not far from Diana and Tony. Steve got out of the driver's seat and Natasha the passenger's. They both gave a quick scan of the area before striding toward their two friends and allies.

"I'm glad you're safe, Di." Steve gave her a quick hug, "It was a good idea to go get Tony."

"I figured that if anyone could get into a SHIELD-based flash drive without kicking up any dust it would be our resident genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist." She then grinned, "Although it was actually JARVIS that did all of the hacking."

"Hey now!" Tony gave a pout, "I read a lot of gruesome files on the Winter Soldier. Give me some credit for surviving that!"

"Point." Diana nodded.

"Thanks for helping, Tony. I'm pretty sure that if we'd tried to get into that drive ourselves, they would've caught us." Steve held out his hand.

Tony shook it, "No problem, Cap." He then turned and pointed toward one of the buildings not far away, "The signal is coming from that building. I thought about just blowing it up, but…" He shrugged, "Maybe there's some info on what the hell's going on with SHIELD."

"Yeah." Steve was looking around looking fairly nostalgic, "This camp is where I trained." He told them as they began walking toward the building.

"Bet you beat all those recruits," Tony smirked, "showed them up with your patriotism and speeches about freedom."

"Actually, I trained here before the serum." The Captain made a face, "I nearly killed myself trying to keep up."

"Colonel Phillips probably wasn't very encouraging." Diana added.

"The Colonel saw a scrawny, sick kid who wouldn't amount to much of anything except another lost soldier." Steve replied, "I think his mind changed after he threw a fake grenade into our exercise group and instead of running away like everyone else, I dove onto it to dampen the blast."

Tony whistled, "I take back everything I said about the serum being the only thing making you Captain America. That takes some balls… or maybe stupidity."

The Captain laughed a little, "Bucky nearly had a heart attack when I told that story to the Commandos and chewed me out for being an idiot, moron, and any other insults he could think up."

Everyone had a nice chuckle at that. Moments later they stopped in front of one of the buildings, "The signal is coming from in there," Tony told them.

"This is wrong. This is a munitions storage unit. What's it doing…?" The Captain frowned at the lock on the doors.

"What're you talking about?" Diana asked.

"Army regulations forbid storing ammunition within five hundred yards of the barracks." He pointed to another edifice just across the street and a few paces away, "This building is in the wrong place, which means..." Steve explained as he took his shield off his back and slammed it into the lock. It broke instantly and fell to the ground, "Let's go." He wrenched open the door and the four of them strode inside.

"This is a SHIELD bunker." Natasha observed.

"JARVIS," Tony tapped his ear piece, "Scan and give date of last use."

A few moments passed as the four continued down a hall toward the origin of the signal, waiting for JARVIS to give them information, "Analysis of the dust covering as well as cobwebs and other materials, this facility was last used for long periods of time around the 1960s or 1970s." The AI announced, "There have been various visits, but none lasted very long and the dates of these visits are uncertain. There have not been any for the last few years."

"Great! That makes this place more abandoned than I originally thought." The billionaire smirked.

They went into one of the first large rooms they found. It happened to have three portraits on the wall opposite the door, and an empty bookcase a little further away, "Maybe this is where SHIELD started," Steve indicated the old photos of Howard Stark, Colonel Chester Phillips, and Agent Peggy Carter.

Diana looked between the photo of Howard and his son Tony standing in front of her, "You look like your dad."

Tony made a face that scrunched up his nose, "His looks and his genius are the only things he gave me. Moving along." He swept past the photos without giving them a second glance.

Steve reached out to touch Peggy's face. "Who's the girl?" Natasha asked. The Captain's lips thinned, and he followed Tony without answering.

"It's a touchy subject. Steve was falling head over heels for Agent Peggy Carter." Diana explained, "We just saw her at a retirement home yesterday. She has Alzheimer's really bad."

"Oh…" The Black Widow looked a little sad and maybe a tiny bit guilty before the two women followed the Captain and Ironman.

Tony had stopped in front of a bookcase and was examining it, "What do you think, Cap?"

"I think that if you're already working in a secret office," Steve pulled the bookcase aside with ease and revealed an elevator door, "why do you need to hide the elevator?"

"JARVIS?" Tony asked, and after a few seconds, the doors slid open.

The four of them stepped into the elevator, the doors slid closed, and they began to descend.

"The least they could do is have elevator music." Tony joked, trying to ease some of the tension that was in the air.

Unfortunately, it didn't work, and the elevator doors opened to an even more tense group. The room was full of old computers from the late 1960s, according to Tony.

"I don't know how that signal could've been coming from here." The billionaire looked perplexed, "This tech is ancient! It couldn't handle Solitaire much less anything of intelligence like the signal suggested. I was expecting modern SHIELD tech at the very least, not this… junk." Then he became even more confused, "What the hell's a flash drive port doing in this scrap pile?" He looked to Diana, "Hey, Hermione, you still got the drive?"

She dug through her pockets and produced the drive, "Yup," and handed it to the resident tech genius.

As soon as Tony plugged in the drive, it started up the system, "Woah, okay, that's unexpected."

A cursor lit up on one of the screens: _**Initiate System?**_

"Uh, yeah." Tony said. Nothing happened, "Dammit. I forgot this was an antique." He brought his fingers up to the keyboard and typed: _**YES**_.

An accented voice spoke and an old camera focused on each of them, "Rogers, Steven Grant. Born 1918. Romanoff, Natalia Alianovna. Born 1984. Stark, Anthony Edward. Born 1970. Larson, Diana. Born… uncertain. Interesting."

"Okay, I was not expecting that." Tony leaned back and raised his chin defiantly, "To whom am I speaking?"

"I may not be the man I once was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945, but I am." A screen flared to life and showed the very matrixed face of a man with glasses.

"Cap, you know this... thing?" Tony asked.

Steve's teeth clenched, "Arnim Zola was a German scientist who worked for the Red Skull. He's been dead for years."

"First correction, I am Swiss."

"Geographical semantics. You worked for the Nazi Science Division called HYDRA, therefore, you were in the employ of Germany, making you German by proxy." Tony shot back, already hating the guy who'd tortured the Winter Soldier.

Zola went on as if he hadn't been interrupted, "Second, look around you. I have never been more alive. In 1972 I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body, my mind, however, that was worth saving on two hundred thousand feet of data banks. You are standing in my brain."

"As impressive as this might be for the 1970s," Tony added, "what's this gotta do with SHIELD going bonkers and starting a Cap-hunt? And how are you involved in all this?"

"I was invited into the SSR, which would become SHIELD." Zola replied simply then continued with his explanation, "After the implementation of Operation Paperclip, the SSR hired me to help with their cause. While I did as they asked, I mostly burrowed deep within their ranks and helped my own cause."

"HYDRA died with the Red Skull." Steve informed him.

"Ah, but what is HYDRA's motto?" Zola inquired, "Cut off one head, two more shall take its place."

The Captain's expression darkened, "Prove it."

"Accessing archive." Several images flashed across Zola's face screen, including photos and newsreels of the Red Skull. Zola narrated over the information, "HYDRA was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. What we did not realize, was that if you try to take that freedom, they resist. The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly. After the war, SHIELD was founded and I was recruited. The new HYDRA grew. A beautiful parasite inside SHIELD. For seventy years HYDRA has been secretly feeding crisis, reaping war. And when history did not cooperate, history was changed."

"Oh god, he sounds like Reindeer Games." Tony groaned.

Natasha was a bit louder, "That's impossible, SHIELD would have stopped you."

"Accidents will happen." The screen flashed with the newspaper article about Howard and Maria Stark's accident.

Tony suddenly activated his suit and raised one of his palm repulsor, "I'm gonna rip apart your so-called brain, and when I'm done, I'll incinerate the pieces." His robotic voice snarled, "It's no less than a monster like you deserves."

Steve looked at his friend in horror, although he wouldn't grasp the gravity of the situation until he learned the Winter Soldier was responsible for Tony's parents' deaths.

Diana put a hand on Ironman's arm, "Tony, not yet. We need to know what's going on now. You can destroy it all later."

Ironman turned to Shieldmaiden, "My patience with this… thing is wearing thin, Diana. One minute, that's all I'll give him." Tony lowered his hand repulsors back to his sides.

Zola continued, "Now, where was I? Ah yes: HYDRA created a world so chaotic that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security. Once the purification process is complete, HYDRA's new world order will arise. We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your Life: a zero sum."

It was Steve's turn to lose his temper. First smugly informing his friend that his parents' deaths were no accident (although Tony technically already knew), then Zola had the audacity to mock Steve's sacrifice during WWII! The Captain punched the screen that showed Zola's face. It probably wasn't as satisfying as punching his actual face would have been.

The antagonizing man simply appeared on another screen, "As I was saying…"

The Captain cut him off, looking at Tony, who'd opened his helmet, "What's on the drive?"

"Files on the Winter Soldier and something called Project Insight." Tony answered, "I didn't get to look at the latter, but the Winter Soldier files are the stuff of nightmares. Torture - physical, emotional, mental, chemical… complete brainwashing and memory erasure… should I go on?"

"There is no need. The Winter Soldier is mine, and it will protect HYDRA to its last breath. Besides Project Insight requires... insight. So I wrote an algorithm." Zola replied.

"What kind of algorithm? What does it do?" Natasha asked.

"The answer to your question is fascinating. Unfortunately, you shall be too dead to hear it." The Zola AI told them and they noticed the elevator doors closing.

Steve threw his shield at them, but it was too late and the sound of metal clanging on metal rang through the room as the shield returned to Steve's hand.

"JARVIS! Get those doors open!" Tony shouted at his AI.

Suddenly, Diana heard static from her earpiece, "That was more difficult to break into than I thought. The distraction will cost that other AI..." She sucked in a breath when she heard Zola's voice coming through it, "I have mere moments, Fraulein but I must tell you… just like he did with Captain Rogers, he asked for you, Diana Larson. Screamed for you. Begged for you. I wondered who you were, why he would call your name along with the Captain's, but once I broke him, I didn't care. And now I know. Your SHIELD file is quite interesting - your connections to Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes helped me create my ultimate masterpiece. Knowing that, like his dear Captain, the woman he pleaded for would not, could not, come for him... that makes everything so much more satisfying."

There was more static and he was gone, "My apologies, Miss Larson. I was distracted -" She vaguely heard JARVIS' voice over her heart pounding in her ears.

Diana then ripped out her earpiece and threw it on the ground, stomping on it..

"Hey, what -?" Tony noticed what Diana had done but got cut off by Natasha, who had received an alert on her phone.

"We got a bogey. Short range ballistics. We got thirty seconds tops."

"Who fired it?"

Natasha's lips thinned, "SHIELD."

"I am afraid I have been stalling, Captain. Admit it, it's better this way. We're both of us...out of time." Zola mocked.

Steve noted a small opening in the ground covered by a metal door. He ripped the door off its hinges, grabbed Diana, "I got her. You get out while you still can!" Captain America shouted at Ironman. Tony snatched Natasha, blasted a hole in the roof, and flew out. Steve covered the two of them as best he could with his shield and Diana cast one of her own.

Moments later, Steve began to dig them out. Ironman was waiting for them on the other side, holding a large piece of rubble, "You guys okay?"

"Bruised and battered. Could be better, though." Diana brushed herself off.

Steve looked around at the hole the explosion had made with a frown, "That did not go as planned."

"When does anything go as planned?" Natasha arched an eyebrow.

They all took a moment to stare at the rubble, before Tony grumbled, "But I wanted to destroy that frog-faced creep!" Steve, Diana, and Natasha couldn't help but chuckle a little, releasing some of the tension from their encounter with Zola. Then Tony's head cocked to the side, "We gotta go." Tony told them, "There are SHIELD - no, HYDRA agents coming."

Steve turned to Diana, "Portal?"

"Where?"

"Anywhere but here."

Ironman landed, but didn't deactivate his suit, "Back to DC. That's where Project Insight is gonna happen. JARVIS looked at the files and gave the information to me while Zola was blabbing."

"We need somewhere to hide out." Natasha told them.

Diana looked at Steve, "Sam?"

"Should we really get him involved?" The Captain asked.

"There's no time for debate." Tony informed them, "They just found your car and will be here any second!"

Steve took a deep breath, "Sam."

Diana quickly created a portal back to DC, hoping that because her mind was on Sam, it would open close to wherever he was. If not, they could always catch a ride in a taxi or something.

*FMttM*

Since they didn't know where Sam's house was, Tony wanted JARVIS to hack into the Drivers' License database, but Natasha was faster (and more legal) and simply found him on Tinder with Steve's help in identifying his friend's profile picture. It left the billionaire pouting a little bit behind his sunglasses as they rode the bus to the stop nearest Sam's house ("This is humiliating." Tony grumbled with his arms crossed.). They walked the rest of the way there and knocked on Sam Wilson's door.

When Sam opened the door and saw them, his eyebrows went up, "Hey, man." He addressed Steve.

"I'm sorry about this, but we need a place to lay low." Steve told his friend.

"Everyone we know is trying to kill us." Natasha put in.

"Not everyone." Diana refuted, "Just everyone in SHIELD which has apparently been infiltrated by HYDRA that didn't actually disband at the end of World War II."

"Well, I'm not SHIELD, so I'm not gonna try to kill you." Sam opened his door wider and stepped aside, "Unless you eat my gumbo. Then I won't make any promises."

"Thanks Sam." Steve clapped him on the shoulder as they entered.

Once Sam closed the door, he turned to them with a frown, "You guys look like shit. What happened to you?"

The Captain sent a look of displeasure toward his friend at his bad language before replying, "We don't know too much, and explaining the inner workings of SHIELD would take too long."

"Not really." Diana began to sum up their adventure, "HYDRA didn't die at the end of WWII. Stupid people hired a HYDRA scientist, Arnim Zola, who was determined to continue his human experimentation. Zola did just that, and spread HYDRA influence throughout SHIELD, even after his death since he somehow uploaded his mind into a computer. Also they have a super soldier assassin called the Winter Soldier working for them, and he killed the one person with any power within SHIELD who was on our side and not HYDRA. So, we're pretty much screwed right now."

Sam just blinked for a few seconds, "I would let loose another curse word, but I think the Cap's had enough of that today."

Steve just sighed in annoyance before agreeing with Diana, "That's the jist of the last couple days so far."

"Well, I bet you guys could use a shower and some sleep." Sam offered, "I only have one extra bedroom, but the couch is a nice place to catch a few winks too."

"I should actually head back to the Tower and analyze some of the data JARVIS got from Zola's mainframe." Tony told them, "I just wanted to make sure the Cap wasn't taking these two lovely ladies to a serial killer."

"You don't have to worry about Chocolaccino." Diana told Tony with a smile, "He's a regular cinnamon roll."

"Chocolaccino?" Tony arched an eyebrow at her, "I thought I was the one coming up with the nicknames around here."

"Wait a second, you're Tony Stark." Sam's eyes were wide.

The billionaire grinned and puffed up a little, "Why yes, yes I am."

"You're Ironman."

"Yup, I'm that too."

"You're standing in my house."

"And now I'm gonna leave your house." Tony stepped outside the door. He paused and glared at Diana, "Don't think I forgot about you smashing my earpiece. You're gonna have to explain that when I get back, and I will be coming back. JARVIS is monitoring Natasha's and your phones by GPS. Don't hunt HYDRA without me."

"You deserve a little vengeance for your parents. We won't start without you." Diana promised.

"Awesome." Tony activated his suit, "See you in a few hours." Then he flew off.

"That's so cool." Sam looked wistful from beside Diana as they both watched Ironman fly off toward New York.


	15. Mission Report: January 11, 2014

**Today is a tragic day. In honor of all his work, I will post this chapter. RIP Stan Lee.**

 ***FMttM***

Diana sprinted down the darkened hallway and nearly crashed into the wall as she rounded a corner. A scream of pain. She froze. No, no, no, no, no. She felt a weight in her hand and looked down. Her Colt was nestled in her fingers. What…? She squeezed the weapon tightly nonetheless.

Her heart thumped in her chest, and she started when she heard another scream. Diana took off running again, toward the screams. Rescue mission - the words flitted through her mind.

She suddenly found herself in a threshold looking to a room that had… machines in it. Someone was sitting in a chair, the chair facing away from her. A man in a lab coat withdrew a syringe from the chair-person's right arm. He then looked up and a cruel smile crossed his face, "Ah, Fraulein, I was wondering when you'd get here." Zola…. It was Zola. "You see, our Soldat has been unruly of late, so I thought I'd give him some… incentive."

In an instant, Diana found herself suddenly strapped to a gurney. She tried to speak, to scream herself hoarse, but no sound came out. She struggled against the straps, but they were built for someone much stronger.

Zola approached her, "He's been calling for you Fraulin, and you didn't find him. He became my plaything, my Asset, because you decided to sleep rather than go out and find him, like you promised."

Please… Don't… She begged silently as tears leaked out of her eyes.

The HYDRA scientist looked smug, "Would you like to see him? My masterpiece. My super soldier. My assassin."

Bucky… I'm so, so sorry.

"I am the Dream Lord here." Zola crowed, "You have no power over me. You never had power. Not to save him. Not to save your so called friends. Not even to save yourself. HYDRA will win, and we will rule. Because of you!" He put his fingers on her chin and forced her to look to the side, "Look at what you've done, Fraulein. A broken man. A monster you helped create because you couldn't stop it. Because you couldn't find him. Look! Look at him!"

Bucky, the Winter Soldier, sat in the chair that was used to wipe his memories. His head leaned back and his eyes closed. His metal arm gleamed in the dim light. He sat so still and silent that she wondered what Zola had given him or done to him.

Bucky… Diana tried to call out.

"He is mine. Now and forever. No amount of calling his old name will bring him back. The man you knew is gone. Only the Asset remains." Zola sneered, "And now, Fraulein, we will discuss the knowledge you have squirrelled away in that tiny little mind of yours. You will find no help here."

Diana squeezed her eyes shut tight as pain like nothing she'd ever felt filled her entire being. She screamed.

*FMttM*

Diana jolted awake in Sam's guest room just before her door burst open and Steve charged in followed by Sam.

"Diana!" The Captain saw her awake and sitting up, and he took in her tear-stained face, "Are you alright?"

"It was a dream."

"That wasn't dream." Sam frowned at her, "That was an outright night terror. I should know. I've had my share."

She couldn't look at Steve, "It's nothing. I'll get over it."

"Diana -" The Captain started.

"Cap, why don't you go back to sleep. I'll try to talk to her." Sam offered, "It's my job, after all."

There was a pause before Steve relented, "Alright… You sure?"

"Go. To. Sleep. It's, like, two in the morning." There was the sound of shuffling, so Sam must have pushed Steve out the door, "Out. Out. Out." Sam then sat on the edge of her bed, "If you want to talk about your dream, I'll listen. No talking, no judging, zip. Unless you tell me otherwise."

"Sam…" Diana cringed.

"Do my ears deceive me? Are you calling me 'Sam'?"

"Chocolaccino's too long for this discussion. If we have it at all."

"I've heard that it's better to talk about what's bothering you rather than keep it bottled up." Sam told her, "I also bet you twenty bucks that Cap is pacing out there, not doing as he's told!" He called the last few words toward the door.

Diana gave a small smile, "He cares a lot. Sometimes I don't think I deserve a friend like him after everything I've let happen."

"I doubt you've ever let anything just 'happen.' You don't seem the type."

"Shows what you know, Chocolaccino."

Sam smiled a little before becoming serious again, "If you want to talk… not just about your dream, but about anything, I'll listen. I'll sit here for as long as you need, or I can leave. I won't force you to talk, but I promise, it does make things a little better."

Diana nodded in acknowledgement, "Just… let me think for a bit. I need to sort through this and figure out what I can and can't say." She mostly didn't want to reveal that Bucky was the Winter Soldier. The reveal to Steve was too important to getting Bucky's memories back.

"Take your time." Sam told her softly.

Diana brought her knees up and rested her chin upon them, thinking of Bucky and the Winter Soldier.

Suddenly her cell phone rang from the nightstand. She grabbed it and saw Matt's name on the caller ID, "Hey Matty."

"Diana. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Did you just get in? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I did. It was a pretty quiet night. Something told me I should give you a call since you weren't home for me to drop by." He told her, "But you can't lie to me. Even over the phone. I know your voice too well."

She sighed and glanced at Sam. Well, this was what he wanted, and she knew Matt wouldn't let it go until she told him what was wrong, "Oh Matt… I just… You remember how your grandfather was one of HYDRA's prisoners?"

"Of course."

"Well, Arnim Zola, the scientist who did those experiments, had saved his consciousness into a computer mainframe and-"

"How is that even possible? He died before computers were capable of doing much of anything except basic math and word processing."

"I don't know, but he had enough power to break into the earpiece Tony had given me while JARVIS was distracted by the incoming information in the mainframe and mocked me by telling me all about what he'd done to Bucky, and how I was never able to prevent it."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." There was a pause before Matt spoke again, "There's more. Your voice just didn't sound normal when you answered."

"Yeah. I just woke up from a night terror." She glanced at Sam again. He still sat on the edge of the bed with his hands folded in his lap and a compassionate look on his face. Diana continued, "In the dream I was trying to rescue Bucky from Zola, and the bastard ended up catching me and torturing me for everything I know about this universe. I - I woke up screaming." She ducked her head so that Sam couldn't see her pained expression.

Matt heard her pain easily, "I'm listening, Di. Please don't hold this in."

She trusted Matt just as much as she trusted Steve, and she knew she couldn't lie to Matt. He'd be able to tell if she did and use his lawyer voice to get her to talk. "Zola ruined everything!" The words burst out as tears formed in her eyes, "If it hadn't been for him, Bucky would still be here! He wouldn't have fallen from that train and he wouldn't have…" Diana choked, "Zola said there was nothing left of Bucky, and it was my fault. I knew it would happen and I could've stopped it, but I didn't because I wanted to keep the stupid timeline intact. All of this happening right now? It's my fault. It's all my fault!"

"No it's not!" Matt ground out, sounding much more like Daredevil than Matt.

Sam gave a nod, "Agreed."

"Is there someone else there with you?" The blind lawyer had heard Sam. Stupid heightened senses.

"Steve's friend Sam is a counselor for people and soldiers dealing with trauma." Diana explained.

"Got it. But Diana, nothing that happened back then was or is your fault." Matt told her, "From what I know about you and what I've heard about Bucky, he was determined to do his duty for his country. You understood that and let him make his choice. It's not your fault."

"I did warn him about the possibility of him falling," Diana bowed her head, her voice small, "but that doesn't excuse not trying to find him afterwards. I knew he'd at least survived the fall. Maybe I could've saved him from all of his pain and suffering."

"How long were they gone?" Matt asked, "The Commandos, I mean."

"Hours."

"Then it would have been almost impossible to find him, Diana. You know that. There was too much ground to cover, and I bet some of it wouldn't have even been accessible with what you had."

"Yeah. Yeah, I know. It's just… Zola brought that guilt forward again. I hadn't thought about it since waking up in this century, so I guess maybe that's why I still feel guilty about it."

"All you can do is move forward. I think he'd want that for you."

Diana bobbed her head before realizing that Matt couldn't see it… because he was on the phone, "He's alive, though. Right now he's out there and he's alive."

"Then your guilt is a bit moot isn't it?"

"It doesn't take back what happened to him in the interim."

"True, but you had no control over that. I doubt he'd blame you, if that's what you're thinking."

"He said the same thing before he left to capture Zola."

"Then listen to him if you won't listen to me. It's. Not. Your. Fault."

A few tears escaped her eyes, "I've missed him so much, Matt."

"So go find him."

"I'm pretty sure he'll find me first." She said as a sad, bittersweet smile tugged at her lips.

"Then all you have to do is wait."

"Thanks, Matty. I know you have enough to deal with in Hell's Kitchen without listening to my problems."

"You're one of my closest friends." The blind lawyer told her, "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't offer you support? Even at two o'clock in the morning."

Diana closed her eyes and a small, more genuine smile flitted across her face, "Sometimes I don't know what I'd do without you or Steve."

"Probably be closer friends with Tony Stark or something." Matt joked before he yawned.

"I better let you go. You sound tired."

Another yawn, "Yeah, I'm going to bed. Keep me posted on what's happening. If you have another nightmare, just call me. Day or night, I won't mind at all. It all looks the same to me."

Diana gave a small smile, "Okay. I'll see you later."

"I won't." Matt chuckled a little

Diana couldn't help but laugh at Matt poking fun at himself, "Bye Matt." She hung up her cell and looked at Sam.

He spoke first, "Well, at least you have a great therapist in your friend Matt."

"Yeah. He's a good Catholic boy. And a lawyer. It gives him some insight into confessions."

"Is there anything else you want to add to what you told him, or are you good now?"

"I'm pretty good. I'm still bothered by what Zola said, but the past's in the past. There's no changing it now."

Sam gave an approving nod, "And I agree with your friend. Don't blame yourself for things that were and are completely out of your control."

"I'll try not to."

"Good." He stood from the bed and stretched, "I'm going back into the living room and making some coffee. Steve stole the couch, and I gave Natasha my room because she's freaking scary!"

"So you got stuck with the floor, Chocolaccino?" Diana teased.

"I've slept worse places." Sam shrugged as he reached the door, "Try to get more sleep."

"I'll try."

"Good night."

"Night."

*FMttM*

There was a knock on her door and Diana rolled over having slept for a few more hours much more peacefully than earlier that night.

"Diana, are you awake?" Came Steve's voice from the other side of the door.

She stretched, "Yeah."

"Sam made us some breakfast: Pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns. The works."

"I'm coming. Give me a minute." She tried to smooth out her wrinkled clothes, but to no avail. Hmmm… maybe she could portal to her apartment for a change of clothes before they headed out. But… food first.

Diana walked into the dining room to the sweet smell of maple syrup and bacon, "This looks delicious." She told Sam.

"Dig in. I made enough for everyone, I think." He answered.

The four of them sat quietly for nearly the entire breakfast before Natasha broke the peace, "I've been wondering who, other than Director Fury, has enough power to launch a domestic missile strike. I know pretty much everyone in SHIELD, but I just can't figure out which of the uppers would do such a thing."

"Pierce." Steve answered simply and took a bite of pancake. Sam listened as he cleared some of his dishes and then disappeared into the kitchen.

Natasha looked pensive, "Maybe, but he'd be hard to get without alerting every soldier within alarm distance of our presence the moment we got inside one of the most secure buildings in the world. It's gotta be someone else and maybe Pierce is pulling the strings."

"Right. He can't be working alone since Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star." Steve added, then looked at Diana, "What do you think?"

She pursed her lips, "I don't remember his name, and I hate racial profiling, but he wasn't a white guy. Tan skin. Glasses. Bald."

"Jasper Sitwell? But he was on the Star." The Captain looked a bit confused before his expression darkened, "He's HYDRA. Well, then the real question is - how do the two most wanted people in Washington kidnap a 'SHIELD' officer in broad daylight?"

Diana was about to answer, but a file appeared on the table between her and Steve's plates. "The answer is - you don't." Sam said from behind Steve.

The Captain picked up the file, "What's this?"

"Call it my resume."

Natasha leaned toward them to look at the file once Steve opened it. There were a few photos inside and the Black Widow picked one up, "Is this Bakhmala?" Sam nodded, "The Khalid Khandil mission, that was you." She looked to Steve, "You didn't tell me he was pararescue."

Steve was looking at a photo of Sam with another guy, "Is this Riley?" He asked his friend softly.

"Yeah. That's Riley Finn."

Natasha moved around the table so she could see the picture better, "I heard they couldn't bring in the choppers because of the RPGs. What did you use, a stealth chute?"

"No. These." Sam reached between Steve and Diana and flipped a few pages to show the Falcon wing technology.

Steve's brows furrowed, "I thought you said you were a pilot."

"Never said I was a pilot. Just said I flew, and these babies are absolute freedom."

"Tony would probably love to take a look at them." Diana told Sam.

"I'm sure he would. Any idea if he'll be coming back any time soon?" He asked.

Everyone else either shrugged or shook their heads. Diana replied, "Tony does what he wants when he wants. He'll be back eventually. He wouldn't miss the final showdown for anything."

Steve frowned at the Falcon wings before looking up at his friend, "I can't ask you to do this, Sam. You got out of the military for a good reason."

"Dude, when Captain America comes knocking at your door asking for help, what am I supposed to say? No? I've made my decision. There's no better reason to get back in than helping a friend who needs support."

The Captain sighed with reluctance, "Okay, so where do we get our hands on one of these?"

"Last one I saw was up at Fort Meade barracks behind three guarded gates and a twelve-inch steel wall." Sam explained, "Maybe not Fort Knox, but still…"

Steve looked over at Diana, "Think you can get us in? We'd do and in-and-out as quickly and quietly as possible."

"All I need is a picture of the inside of Fort Meade and I can get us in. I think it'll be easy as pie." Diana smirked.

"What?" Sam looked confused, "I'm missing something here."

"You can come along if you want." She offered, "It might be fun."

"I really hope I'm not gonna regret this."

*FMttM*

Diana did have time to quickly create a portal to her apartment to get a change of clothes and gather her robes in preparation for the fight at Triskelion before she had to create the portal for Sam and Steve to retrieve the Falcon wings from the Fort Meade barracks. Black Widow stayed behind in case HYDRA or the Winter Soldier found Sam's house; she'd come through and warn them if that did happen.

Diana, Sam, and Steve - who had taken neither his shield nor his suit as that would identify him - looked around the custodial closet the portal had opened in. Each wore a baseball cap so that they could simply tilt down their faces and avoid cameras - Sam's suggestion.

"Well, I guess this puts new meaning to coming out of the closet." Sam smirked.

Diana sighed and shook her head, "Gay jokes, Sam? Really?"

Steve flushed a bit. He hadn't understood the phrase at first, but Diana's reply had quickly cleared that up, "Let's just get the wings and go. Quick in and out."

Sam cleared his throat and mumbled just loud enough for Diana to hear, "That's what she said."

"Shut up, Sam." She punched his arm.

He sent her a grin before straightening and becoming all business - hopefully.

Steve opened the door and peeked outside before closing the door again, "There's no guard in sight, but we don't know where we are in the barracks or where the Falcon wings are being kept."

"I had to drop them off here when I finished my tour." Sam informed them, "I think I could figure out where they keep them."

"You sure you want to steal from the US military?" Steve asked.

"I'm not backing out on you, Cap. I'm in this for good." The other man replied.

The Captain nodded, "Okay, we can't just wander around the fort. We need to figure out where we are and fast."

Diana wished she could take them to the Mirror Dimension, but Master Daniel hadn't taught her how to do that yet.

"Let's just pick a direction and see where that gets us." Sam suggested, "We might get lucky."

Steve pursed his lips, but obviously didn't have a better idea. He then nodded, "Quick and quiet. If we see guards we knock them out as silently as possible."

The three of them made their way through the Fort Meade barracks, trying to avoid the cameras mounted on corners. One of them must have gotten caught on one of the cameras since only a few moments after their arrival, the guards started patrolling the halls. Steve knocked out five before they actually reached a room that looked promising for keeping the Falcon Wings.

Wrong. And so there was more searching, more knockouts, and more checking of various rooms.

"Okay, seriously, where the hell would they keep your wings?" Diana grumbled to Sam.

"Man, I don't know. I just hope they didn't move them without saying anything." He replied.

Steve had slid around a corner and punched out another guard before turning back to them, "That's seventeen. We better find these wings soon and get out of here before they call people more dangerous than security guards."

"Pretty sure you could get rid of anything they threw at us." Sam told the Captain confidently.

"Except a tank." Diana put in.

"Yeah, I'm telling you, you should've brought your shield."

"If anyone here is HYDRA, they would've notified the rest of them right away, and then where'd we be?" Steve gave the two an exasperated look.

"Probably fighting the Winter Soldier." Diana replied.

"And none-the wiser about Project Insight." Steve looked around the corner again, "It's still clear. There are double doors at the end of the hallway. Let's move."

They barged through the double doors to find themselves in a rather large looking storage room.

"I'm guessing this is the place." Sam said as he looked around, "Now I just gotta find the crate with my wings. And maybe the Arc of the Covenant while I'm at it."

They each picked an aisle and slowly walked down, looking for crates that might contain a backpack size jetpack with retractable wings. Maybe even labelled "Project Falcon."

Minutes passed before a shout rang out, "Found it!" It was Sam. They met in one of the breaks between the aisles. Sam held the jetpack, not the crate, "I closed and resealed the crate just in case they try to figure out what we took. It'll take them a bit longer. Let's get out of here."

Diana slipped on her Sling ring and created a second portal back to Sam's house, which would basically wipe out the first.

"That's so cool." Sam commented as he stepped through, followed by Steve and Diana, who swiped it closed once she'd cleared the ring.

*FMttM*

Diana sat across from Sam trying to make their situation look like a date. They watched the Senators coming out of their government building.

"Good thing Steve gave you the earpiece." Diana murmured to him and then smile sweetly, "I don't think I could've kept my cover. I mean, I'd suck at being a spy."

Sam smiled back, "Well, at least you've got some magic skills. Those portal things must come in real handy."

"They do." She was going to continue, but Sam held up a hand.

"Agent Sitwell, how was lunch?" Sam asked into his earpiece, "I hear the crab cakes here are delicious."

Diana scooted her chair around, but missed the reply due to metal scraping sounds. It wasn't really that important, but she wanted to make it look like she and Sam were getting romantic to the public.

"The good looking guy in the sunglasses and the pretty blonde gal, your ten o'clock." Then Sam rolled his eyes at Diana and mouthed 'This guy's an idiot' before saying, "Your other ten o'clock."

"What do you want?" Diana heard Sitwell's voice come over Sam's earpiece.

"You're gonna go around the corner, to your right." Sam instructed, "There's a gray car, two spaces down. You and I are gonna take a ride."

"And why would I do that?" Sitwell asked.

"Because that tie looks really expensive, and I'd hate to mess it up." Sam referenced Natasha taking up a sniper position and aiming the gun at Sitwell. Where she'd acquired a sniper rifle was something Diana hadn't been privy to.

Diana and Sam stood and linked arms, following Sitwell to the car.

"So, Jasper Sitwell, looks like you've got yourself into some trouble." Sam said from the driver's seat, "Di, you got anything to make sure he doesn't try to run?"

Diana smirked and her fingers sparked with Eldritch magic, "How about energy-based handcuffs?"

Sam grinned in the mirror, "That'll do."

She cast her Eldritch whip around Sitwell's wrists as Sam began to drive. They didn't go too far. Just a few blocks away to a building with rooftop access.

"You got this Di?"

"Don't doubt me, Chocolaccino." She raised her Eldritch Whip and Sitwell stumbled from the car.

"Damn, you look like some dominatrix."

Diana arched an eyebrow before turning to her captive, "Come on, asshole." She dragged him to the roof where she released him, "Wait here and be glad I didn't call the Devil to beat the ever-loving crap out of you." She backed away from Sitwell to the roof access door and closed it without taking her eyes off Sitwell.

Moments later there was a bam against the door. Steve must have thrown Sitwell against it. She sighed and rolled her eyes before heading back down to the car. She sat in the back seat and waited for her friends, keeping an eye out for surveillance and the Winter Soldier.

Sam appeared and got into the driver's seat, with Steve in the passenger's seat, while Natasha shoved Sitwell into the back seat and squashed him between her and Diana. Sam then hit the gas and headed toward the Triskelion.

*FMttM*

On the highway, Sitwell started flapping his mouth again, "HYDRA doesn't like leaks."

"Then shut your cakehole." Diana snapped at him. Her heartbeat quickened. She knew what was coming, "Steve, give me your hand."

The Captain looked back, questioning, "What?"

"Your hand." She reached out to him.

He reached back, still confused, "Okay." She clasped his hand for a moment before letting go and flicking her wrists. Steve's eyebrows went up, "I thought those were just bracelets."

"Nope." She showed off her bracers so both Natasha, Steve, and Sitwell could see them, "Now I've got your strength on top of mine."

"Have I mentioned that the stuff you can do is awesome?" Sam glanced at her in the rearview mirror.

"Yup. I'll just add my relic to the list."

Natasha leaned into the conversation, "Insight's launching in sixteen hours, we're cutting it a little bit close here."

"I know." Steve replied, "I thought Tony would be back before we left, but I guess we need our Plan B: We'll use him," His head motioned to Sitwell, "to bypass the DNA scans and access the Helicarriers directly."

"What?! Are you crazy? That is a terrible, terrible idea." Sitwell squawked.

Suddenly there was a thunk on the roof of the car. A metal arm broke through the rear windshield, grabbed their hostage, and threw Sitwell into oncoming traffic. Then bullets started flying and Natasha dove into Steve's lap as Diana put up one of her Tao Mandala shields.

Sam swerved a little before putting on the brakes. The Winter Soldier went flying off the roof of their car and tumbled once before catching himself with his metal hand. Diana sucked in a breath, staring at the Soldier as he slowly stood up in the stopped lane of traffic. Natasha aimed a gun at him to shoot when they were suddenly rear ended and went barrelling toward the Winter Soldier; the gun was dropped in the jolt.

With complete ease, the Soldier vaulted back onto the roof of the car. Sam slammed on the brakes again, but it did next to nothing. A metal arm smashed through the windshield and ripped out the steering wheel.

"Shit!" Sam shouted as his only means of controlling his vehicle vanished.

Natasha tried to shoot at the Soldier through the ceiling, but never hit him as he jumped to the vehicle behind them.

"Diana, can you create a portal?" Steve shouted at her.

"I don't think I could make one that's stable!" She called back just before they were rammed again.

"Get up here!" Steve grabbed at her frantically as the car went half way up on the median wall. She clambered onto the center console as Steve started trying to bash the door open, "Hang on!" He shouted as the door swung open when the car tilted again in an airborne roll.

All four of them fell out. Diana and Sam couldn't stay on the doorframe and while Sam knew how to evacuate from a moving vehicle with a roll, Diana did not. She landed hard on her left shoulder, and she couldn't help but scream in pain as it made the crunching sound of dislocation. When she finally stopped, Diana panted, trying to recover.

"Gotta get away. Gotta get away." She slid her Sling ring on and, from a kneeling position began to create a portal right next to her.

BOOM!

The portal fizzled out as her head snapped up. She saw Steve go flying. Then there was a wrenching feeling in her left shoulder and a pop. She screamed again before the pain in her shoulder became a dull ache. She looked to the person who had grabbed her. Sam grimaced as he realized he had just relocated her shoulder on accident.

"Sorry, Di." He said before pushing her behind another stopped car.

Diana shakily made her hand symbols and created two Tao Mandala shields. She placed one against the trunk of the car they were hiding behind and readied the other to block bullets coming from other directions.

"Can't stay here forever." Sam panted, "We're gonna make a run for it in three… two… one… NOW!" He sprinted away behind further away car, but Diana didn't follow.

"This is stupid. This is so, so stupid." She muttered to herself as she rolled out into the gunfire with her shields protecting her.

"What the hell are you doing?!" She barely heard Sam's frantic should over the guns.

She made another hand symbol and the shield in her right hand changed into an Eldritch Whip. She turned her body so that her shield was in front of her and lashed out with the whip. It caught one of the HYDRA soldier's guns and it went flying.

Diana lashed out again and caught another HYDRA soldier by his feet, "Get out of here, Tasha!" She shouted, garnering the Winter Soldier's attention. Natasha vaulted over the median wall and disappeared below.

The HYDRA soldiers that were left and the Winter Soldier were now focused solely on her. She gave a smile, "Hi guys. Fancy meeting you here. I'm known as Shieldmaiden. More of a ghost than your friend there." She nodded towards the Soldier.

"Kill her!" A HYDRA agent shouted. Without warning several of the HYDRA agents were shot down by white concussive blasts and AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" started blaring from speakers of unknown origin.

Ironman made a superhero landing next to her, "Shieldmaiden." He nodded in her direction as he stood straight, his hands outstretched and repulsors charged to fire.

"Ironman."

"You're either bravely stupid or stupidly brave," he told her and he held his hands in a firing position, "and I distinctly remember telling you not start the party without me."

"Yeah, well, Manchurian Candidate over there had other plans."

"Right. Shall we?"

Diana rolled her shoulder a bit before she sucked in some bravado from Tony (metaphorically speaking) and smirked, "Oh yes."

With Ironman as support, the HYDRA agents were simple to take down. The Winter Soldier lived up to his ghost status and abruptly vanished from the fight. Sam joined in once the bullets stopped and punched out a couple HYDRA agents who had tried to flee. Once all of the agents had been cleared, Diana realized the Winter Soldier had gone after his true target: Steven Grant Rogers.

"Shit!"

"What?" Sam punched the last conscious HYDRA agent, and Tony followed with another punch to make sure the guy was down for the count.

"The Soldier is going after Steve." She told the two men before turning to Ironman, "Give me a lift?"

"Sure thing, Hermione."

"You go, I got this." Sam moved closer to their wrecked car where his Falcon wings were stored.

Ironman stepped closer and grabbed hold of her waist before taking off.

"They should be close by!" She shouted over the winds.

"I got a lock." Tony said, "Looks like Widow's got him... Oh wait, nope."

"Land, damn it!"

Ironman quickly touched down and turned to the side to block a bullet that would have hit Natasha in the shoulder. Tony's arm and Diana's shield protected the both of them from harm as well.

"Get Natasha out of here! I'm gonna help Steve!" She shouted at him.

"Are you crazy?!"

"Probably. Now do as I say!"

Diana tore herself away from Tony as the Winter Soldier aimed at her. She activated her whip again. It crackled in her hand, "I hope you're impressed. I've worked hard to get to where I am because I knew Winter would be coming."

His eyes narrowed before his gaze was pulled elsewhere. Steve sprinted toward them, charging the Winter Soldier. The Soldier swung his left arm and a gong sound echoed through the street as vibranium met vibranium. He then kicked the Captain from the car they'd been standing on, and Steve fell to the pavement.

Diana swung her whip to try to get the gun away from the Soldier, but his metal grip was stronger than her enhanced strength and all she managed to do was drag him off the car. The whip did, however, cut off the muzzle of the machine gun. Diana dissipated the whip, reformed it, and went to stand next to Steve.

The Captain gave her a side glance and a nod before raising his shield to block more bullets with Diana's Tao Mandala shield beside it. Steve darted around the guard and charged the Winter Soldier, getting the second gun out of his hands. The Soldier drew a handgun and looked about to shoot when Diana's whip caught it and, to her surprise, yanked it from his grasp. It went flying far out of anyone's reach.

The Soldier sent her a quick glare before engaging in fisticuffs with the Captain. The Soldier was able to wrench Steve's shield away from him and punch him backwards so far and so hard that the Captain left a dent in the car he landed on.

Diana was fed up with this shit. She dissipated her whip and ran at the Winter Soldier (because she's an idiot). He obviously hadn't expected her to be so stupidly brave because one of her super-soldier enhanced strength punches landed on the side of his face. His icy eyes turned their full, angry stare on her as he swung Steve's shield. The edge connected with the left side of her chest. She shrieked in pain as the hit threw her several feet, skidding along the pavement to a stop.

Diana lay there in a heap, panting, her ears ringing from the impact and stars danced in her eyes. Slowly she got to her feet, light-headed and unfocused. Her shield was gone. All she had left were her bracelets and the fighting skills she'd learned from Master Daniel and Matt.

She blinked a few times and saw with clear-ish vision Steve struggling against the Winter Soldier's knife. With a quick hand symbol as they carved a cut into the van the Soldier had the Captain pinned against, Diana formed her whip, "Hey stupid-face!" She shouted.

The Soldier's attention snapped to her as she cracked her magical whip, grabbed his knife, and flung it off into the distance. The distraction cost him as Steve flipped him to the ground and regained the shield from the hole it had made in the van.

A few more punches were exchanged before the side of Steve's shield cut into the Soldier's vibranium arm. Steve wrenched the shield out and around the arm and knocked the Soldier in the chin before turning, grabbing a hold of the Soldier's face mask and flip-throwing him to the pavement.

The mask fell as the Soldier rolled away. The mask was off and his identity would be revealed when he turned. Diana could only stare, waiting to see his face again.

The Soldier stood, his back to the both of them. Then he turned.

Bucky's blank face stared at the both of them and all color in Steve's face left him. The Captain took a few moments of shock before he found his words - or rather a name, "Bucky?"

The Soldier squared himself to his opponents, "Who the hell is Bucky?" The Soldier produced another gun from his back and aimed it at Steve.

Before anyone could do anything, Falcon came flying in from above and kicked the Soldier down. The latter quickly got back to his feet and after a moment's hesitation, aimed his gun again.

"Don't!" Diana staggered toward Steve, holding her side.

Then from behind came a white concussive blast and the truck behind the Soldier exploded. When the smoke cleared, the Winter Soldier was gone.

Ironman landed next to them, "Everyone okay?"

Steve just stared at where the Soldier had been and didn't answer. Natasha came out from wherever they'd taken refuge during the fight.

"I think you should get Diana out of here." Sam said, "Looks like she's a little worse for wear. We'll find our own way."

Ironman's face turned toward her, and she could tell JARVIS was probably analyzing her injuries and telling Tony exactly how hurt she was. Ironman spoke again, "Alright bird boy. I'll get her out of here."

"I thought bird boy was Hawkeye." She gave a weak quip.

"Nah. He's Legolas. Or Katniss." Tony joked back, "Let's get you somewhere safe with medical help." He scooped her up like she was a child, "HYDRA's coming. You might want to get the frozen Capsicle out of here A-SAP." Ironman told both Falcon and Black Widow then took off.

"Where -"

"Don't know. Away from here." Tony replied to her question, "Talk later."

"K." Diana allowed herself to pass out.

*FMttM*

When Diana woke in a hospital bed, she was surprisingly in no pain, "Tony?"

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Diana." Master Daniel walked into the room with another yellow-robed man following behind him.

"Master Daniel? How -"

"Mr. Stark contacted me about your injuries and how it was important for you to get back into the fight as soon as possible." Her teacher replied, "As I'm not skilled in the healing arts, I travelled quickly to Kamar Taj to retrieve the best of our healers. We arrived nearby and Mr. Stark promptly escorted us to your room. We've been waiting for you to wake."

The other man stepped forward, "My name is Kaecilius. It's a pleasure to meet you, Diana Larson." His voice was lightly accented, and he bowed to her, "Your magical abilities are good for a Journeyman level, but it seems they need a little more exercise in an actual fight."

"I was fighting a super soldier, thank you very much." Diana retorted, "There's two, maybe three of them alive in the world and some of them don't like to hit girls unless they absolutely have to."

"Nevertheless, perhaps you should spend more of your time training and less time working with Mr. Stark."

"I don't think Diana's the problem here." Tony stood in the door with a scowl on his face, "I brought you here to heal her, not insult her. Now that you've done both those things, I'd like you to get out." He glared at Kaecilius, "Especially you, duck-face."

Master Daniel put a hand on Diana's forehead and ran it down the side of her face, "Please be careful with your heroics. I don't want to lose you."

"I'll try."

Kaecilius had formed a portal and the two sorcerers stepped through with the ring closing behind them.

"How you feeling, Glinda?"

"Well," she sat up a little, "I'm not in pain anymore."

"Three broken ribs. An incorrectly relocated left shoulder plus upper arm fracture. Contusions and bruising. A mild concussion. Minor to major road rash all over. Shall I go on?" Tony listed off her injuries.

"No…"

Then the older man got in her face, "What the hell were you thinking?"

Diana felt like she was being admonished by her dad, "I just wanted to help Steve."

"'Help Steve'." Tony scoffed, "Did you know that the Winter Soldier was Sergeant James Barnes? Was that your way of 'helping Steve'?"

"Yes." She felt a little ashamed of hiding that fact from her best friend.

"Then why the hell didn't you tell him?!" Tony asked, "He probably would've told you if you'd been in the dark about that guy's real identity."

Diana looked down at the sheets, playing with them a little, "I thought it would be best to keep it from him. If he'd tried to fight off Bucky and not the Winter Soldier, Steve would've let himself get beaten. The Soldier would've killed him. Mission complete. Neither Bucky nor I could've lived with that."

Tony ground his teeth, "You're damn lucky the Cap's such a forgiving boy scout. He's on his way here with that other guy and Natasha."

"How long was I out?" Diana asked.

"Almost an hour. They should be here any minute, and I'm sure the Cap's gonna want to talk to you about the fact that his BFF is the most dangerous assassin in the world and that HYDRA used him to kill my parents."

She grimaced, "I know, Tony."

"I'll leave you to wallow in your misery." Tony paused, "By the way, your phone got smashed. Maybe I'll get you a replacement. Maybe." Then he left.

Diana sighed. This was a full on clusterfuck if Steve was mad at her. She rubbed her face and got out of bed. The only clothing she could see in the room were her robes. Well, the final battle was coming up. She might as well go to it in style.

*FMttM*

Diana found herself walking through the hall very similar to the one where the doctors had operated on Nick Fury - if not the same one. She couldn't tell. All the halls looked the same.

She rounded a corner and saw Steve, Sam and Natasha through a window talking to a bedridden Nick Fury. Steve was the first to look up and see Diana and motioned for her to come into Fury's room.

"Diana Larson." Fury addressed her.

"Director Fury."

"Not much of a Director any more." He scoffed a bit, "You were right to warn me two years ago. It's the only reason I'm alive right now. There was time to keep more secrets and prepare."

"Did you get to go to Tahiti?" She asked.

"No," Fury replied with a very straight face, "but I hear that it's a magical place."

Diana smiled, "I'm glad you're still with us."

Steve touched her arm and said, "We need to talk."

She followed him out of Fury's room and waited for the door to shut. "I'm sorry." Diana bowed her head and clasped her hands in front of her.

"What happened to him?" Steve's voice sounded so broken, "What did they DO to him?"

"They erased everything that made him Bucky by frying his brain." She paused and looked up, at her best friend "Do you remember the injuries he had after you rescued him and Dum Dum and the others from HYDRA?"

The Captain paused and thought back to the bruises and welts around Bucky's left eye and the bleeding from his right ear, "Yeah, but he was fine after that. No memory loss at all."

"They didn't get that far. I don't know how many times they did it to him, but… Zola injected him with something, a knock-off super soldier serum, probably. When Bucky was wounded, he healed much faster than normal."

Steve nodded, "Can we save him?" He looked at her hopefully.

"If we get him away from HYDRA, his memories will come back, but I don't know how we'll help him through everything they forced him to do. The assassinations - men, women, probably children."

Steve rubbed his face, and said something inaudible into his hands before he looked at her again, "We have to save him."

"Was there ever any other choice?" She smiled a little. She paused, "You're not mad?"

He returned the smile, although it was bittersweet, "I told you I wouldn't be mad at you about this. You told me something might happen to Bucky. I didn't think it would be something like this, but… It's Bucky."

Diana reached over and gripped her friend's upper arm, "Then let's go save him."

*FMttM*

Steve and Diana returned to Nick Fury's room to begin planning their attack on SHIELD Headquarters - or rather, the Triskelion of HYDRA. Fury was already on his feet, but the doctors insisted on keeping him for observation for a little while longer. It wouldn't last.

"This man declined the Nobel Peace Prize. He said, 'Peace wasn't an achievement, it was a responsibility.'" Fury threw down the photo of Alexander Pierce onto his tray and scowled, "See, it's stuff like this that gives me trust issues."

"We have to stop the launch." Natasha crossed her arms.

"Already working on it." Tony told them, "After finding out about Project Insight myself, I put JARVIS to work on hacking into the helicarriers." The billionaire smirked, "I did give them their redesign after all."

Fury had brought out a case and opened it for them to see, "This is Plan B in case the hacking takes too long or is unsuccessful." There were three large computer chips inside.

"Those'll take down the helicarriers if the right chip is taken out." Tony picked up one of the computer chips, "Each one is labelled with a specific helicarrier code for the location in its mainframe. These babies won't replace the chips; they'll send a virus through the mainframe and cause the helicarrier to shut down."

"Won't that make them crash into the city?" Diana asked.

Tony's smirked widened to a grin, "Well, genius that I am, I thought of that and also uploaded a bit of JARVIS' programming to the chip. JARVIS will keep the carriers floating, but disabled, shut down. Not even the doors will work unless I - we - give approval."

Steve nodded in approval, "That's a good plan." He pointed to a line in the file on Project Insight, "It says that the carriers will be 3,000 feet in the air. No one's getting off those. I'd rather not have to kill anyone, even if they're HYDRA."

"Well, I have no problem doing it." Tony looked grim, "I'm taking down HYDRA and SHIELD will go with it."

"You're right." Steve agreed with a sad sigh, "It all needs to go, and you'll just have to start from scratch again."

"You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." Diana said softly, "SHIELD's been the organization for heroes. Now it's infested with villains. It's gotta be destroyed before they gain more power."

Fury looked at each person in the room, "You're all sure about this? No doubts whatsoever?" He looked to Sam, "What about you, new guy? What exactly brought you here?"

"I help. I quip. And I do what they do," Sam motioned to Captain America and Ironman, "just slower, and with fewer energy blasts."

Tony clapped Sam on the shoulder, "After this is all over, I'd like to take a look at your wings, give you some upgrades." The billionaire smiled widely, "I already have at least a dozen ideas on how to improve your suit. I was thinking maybe a drone. Lighter materials for the wings and pack."

"Tony, not now." Diana shook her head.

"Right! Later. You and me, bird boy, later today or maybe tomorrow depending on the way things go."

"Sounds awesome!" Sam was enthusiastic about getting upgrades.

Plans continued to the point where Tony brought out holographic blueprints so they could map out exact locations and routes to the helicarrier's mainframe.

An hour or so later, the plan was complete.

"I brought us coms on a private signal." Tony handed out earbuds, although he paused before he gave one to Diana, "Don't smash this one, Hermione, or it's coming out of your salary. You get one freebie."

"Extenuating circumstances." She told Tony as he handed it to her.

He nodded, "I know. JARVIS informed me." Then he gave her a once over as she put in the earbud, "Nice threads."

"Thanks. They're new." She smiled down at her gray robes with navy undertunic.

"I thought they looked different from the ones you wore in New York!"

Diana smiled, "Well I did 'level up' so to speak within the Sorcerer hierarchy, so, new robes were needed."

"Well, now you have a superhero outfit too!" Tony grinned as Diana toyed with the shortened sleeves and blushed a little, "Could use an upgrade, though. They're probably not very bulletproof." Tony looked at them closely, "What is that? Wool?"

She shrugged, "I can move in it and use my magic. That's all that matters to me."

Tony was about to say something else, but was interrupted, "We should get going." Steve told them, "Project Insight won't wait for us."


	16. Mini Special Feature-The Winter Soldier

**This is a single scene mini Special Feature! Since I did some chapter condensing causing confusion among some of my readers who don't have accounts for new chapter alerts, I've decided to put this special feature as a mini-chapter before we go on to the final battle of _The Winter Soldier_. This is one of the few pieces that is NOT written from Diana's point of view, but I really like the scene from the movie.**

 **I hope everyone enjoys it... well... maybe not enjoy... you'll understand.**

*FMttM*

The Winter Soldier sat frozen in its seat as the HYDRA lab coats worked on the arm the target had damaged. It should be angry that the target and the woman had beaten it, but the look on the target's face… the woman's scream that had caused its chest to malfunction... The name the target had said… "Bucky?"

The name struck a chord. The woman had called it something too which had distracted it when its chest malfunctioned and a strange voice erupted from its thought processor and screamed to protect her and the target. The attempted mission objective override from that voice in its thought processor had quickly been squashed and shoved away, but the woman… The distraction had cost it, brought its attention away from its target.

She'd fought back with a fierceness and strange skills its handlers hadn't informed it about. The shield and whip she held were formidable, like the target's shield. She had strength too, much more than a woman of her size would usually have considering her single punch to its face had hurt more than any from the target. She also seemed to cause all of these malfunctions, which was even more dangerous than anything physical she had in her arsenal. It would have to remember to take her seriously with an elevated threat level just under or equal to the target's.

It stared ahead, unfocused as its thought processor showed flashes of something… memories? … " _BUCKY!"_ _The name echoed as the target screamed it from an open train door,_ _"No!" When did that happen? ... Falling, screaming….Black. Cold. His left arm hurt. He hurt. Then there was a man. Black._

" _Sergeant Barnes…" A new man in a white lab coat and glasses. … … "You will be the new fist of HYDRA." His left arm had been replaced by a metal one. He stared at it in horror. He was a monster! She would never want him now. He would never accept him again. Monster. Monster. Monster! Cold. Cold. Cold. Black._

The Winter Soldier shifted minutely when it heard the voice of its superior's demand, "Mission report." It didn't answer. Its thought processor was trying to get through these fragments and make sense of them. Suddenly its head swung to the side and its face stung.

One of the scientists told the superior something, but the Soldier wasn't listening. " _I'll find you. I promise."_ The woman's voice echoed through its thought processor. Its chest malfunctioned again for a moment. It had hurt her, made her scream. Monster. Monster...

"Mission report." The demand came again.

The Soldier raised its eyes to its superior, "The man on the bridge…"

" _Bucky?"_ Its thought processor brought forth the voice of the target saying that name again, a look of utter shock on his face.

"I knew him." It told its superior.

The superior's lips thinned, "You met him earlier this week on another assignment."

"But I knew him." It insisted, "And the woman. She created chest malfunctions and nearly caused a mission objective override."

"That woman is a powerful witch." The superior sneered, "She was just playing mind games. It's what women do. We'll deal with her soon enough, find out what makes her tick."

The strange voice from the thought processor suddenly screamed PROTECT! The Soldier pushed the voice back. It was mission non-compliant to protect its enemies.

The superior was talking, but the Soldier didn't care as a few more flashes came from its thought processor.

 _The woman smiling at him, laughing. The feel of her in his arms as they danced. The soft touch of her lips against his…_ PROTECT! The voice commanded as a mission override. "I knew them both." It whispered. PROTECT! The voice repeated. Confir-

"Prep him," It heard its superior tell the lab coats.

Everything turned ice cold. All of these flashes… The woman's pretty smile. The memory of the target shouting that name from the train looking grief-stricken at the loss. HYDRA never thought of it like that. No one smiled at it like the woman did (he wanted to see that smile again). No one ever had the look the target did when the Soldier had turned to face him during the highway mission. HYDRA didn't care.

Its optical lenses must have been malfunctioning too because there were hot droplets of water just wanting to be released. It focused on not letting that happen and the malfunction ceased just as the lab coats took him to The Chair.

Obediently it opened its mouth for the mouth guard. There was nothing it could do to stop this. All of those wonderful memories its thought processor had shown it… they would be gone when it woke up, and everything would be normal. No more malfunctions or voices causing a mission override.

The Winter Soldier's screams echoed straight down to the part of it that was still Bucky Barnes, silencing him once again.


	17. Mission Report: January 12, 2014

**Here is my Christmas present to all of my readers: the final battle from** ** _The Winter Soldier_** **! I hope you enjoy it. I just finished with my rough draft of** ** _Age of Ultron_** **. I'm brainstorming what to do next.**

 **Happy Holidays to everyone!**

 ***FMttM***

Using a portal, Steve snuck into the Smithsonian with Diana, Agent Hill (as the true SHIELD rep), and Sam behind him. The portal had opened only a few paces away from the display of the Howling Commandos' uniforms, so Steve took the copy of his uniform off the mannequin and brought it to the nearest bathroom to change.

Captain America stepped out of the men's room with his shield strapped to his back looking like he had just stepped out of a WWII documentary. He looked at Sam and then Diana, his expression determined, "Let's go take out HYDRA and get Bucky back." He turned to Diana and purposefully removed a glove. He offered his hand to her, and she grasped it with a grateful smile. He squeezed her hand before letting go and returning the glove to its rightful place.

Shieldmaiden flicked her wrists and activated her bracelets before creating another portal going to the inside one of the helicarriers set to launch from the Triskelion for Project Insight.

Once they stepped through, the plans were in motion. Steve strode purposefully down the hall, executing his plan to warn the innocents and good people about what was going on with their organization. He stopped at a closed door and was about to bash it in with a fist when the keycard light flickered green. Someone was coming out. Sam and Hill raised their guns, and Diana clenched her hands into fists.

A tech guy in SHIELD uniform stood on the other side looking shocked to see them there, "Excuse us." Steve told him wryly, and the tech promptly put up his hands to let the four of them pass.

The rest of the techs in the room startled when two Avengers, one of their highest ranking former colleagues, and some guy in a metal backpack and red goggles approached the consol.

"What's going on?" One of them was brave enough to ask, "Are we hostages?"

"No. I just need to make an announcement," Steve told them, "You'll understand once you hear it."

"W-We're not supposed to -" Sam raised his gun slightly and the tech raised his hands, "Okay! Okay! You have to press this button," the tech pointed to it, "while you're talking. The rest is automatic, unless you're expecting an answer. Then you'll have to -"

"No answer needed." Steve assured the scared tech, "Thank you." He stepped up to the com console and took a deep breath.

"Attention, all SHIELD agents. This is Steve Rogers." He paused for effect, "You've heard a lot about me over the last few days, some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it's time you know the truth." Another pause as he looked around at the apprehensive SHIELD techs, "The truth is, SHIELD is not what we thought it was, it's been taken over by HYDRA, the former Nazi Science Division I fought and thought I destroyed in World War II. Now, Alexander Pierce has taken up the mantel the Red Skull and Arnim Zola left behind and is HYDRA's current leader."

There were murmurs among the techs, and quite a few of them looked to be a mix of horrified and scared.

Steve continued,"The STRIKE team and Insight crew are most likely HYDRA as well. I don't know how many more, but I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you." Many techs glanced at each other and took a distrustful step away from their colleagues. "They almost have what they want: absolute control. They shot Nick Fury and it won't end there. If you launch those helicarriers today, HYDRA will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way unless we stop them." The Captain paused for a breath, "I know I'm asking a lot, but the price of freedom is high, it always has been, and it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not."

He lifted his finger off the broadcast button and turned to his allies. Sam had raised his eyebrows at the Captain, "Did you write that down first, or was it off the top of your head?"

Steve flashed his friend a smile, "I did practice a little in the men's restroom while I was changing."

"Captain America, sir?" One of the techs timidly approached the Captain and lifted a hand. Steve waited and the tech squared his shoulders, hand still raised, "I'm with you, sir."

Steve gave a nod of thanks and shook the tech's hand, "Thank you."

The other techs approached the Captain to shake his hand and to give their support as Agent Hill went over to the launch monitors.

After a few moments, she frowned and reported, "They're initiating launch."

"And so it begins." Diana summoned a Tao Mandala shield and followed Steve and Sam back out to the launch bay to board the helicarrier.

*FMttM*

The bay doors above them were more than halfway open and the helicarriers were firing up their turbine engines.

"Hey Cap, all these people look the same. How're we gonna know the good guys from the bad?" Sam asked as the three of them sprinted toward the helicarrier.

"If they're shooting at you, they're probably bad."

Sam nodded and activated his wings to fly out the bay doors. As soon as he got close to one of the helicarriers, Steve and Diana heard the sound of gunfire.

Sam's voice came over the coms, "Found those bad guys you were talking about."

That's when several soldiers came out of a side-door and took up positions, preparing to shoot. Diana activated her Tao Mandala shield and whip and, working in tandem with Steve, they disarmed and knocked out the HYDRA soldiers with only a few shots ricocheting off Steve's shield and others fizzling against Diana's.

"We need to actually get on a helicarrier." She told the Captain. She slipped on her Sling ring for a short portal jump.

The portal opened on the flight deck of the rising helicarrier, which had cleared the bay doors. The wind whipped around them and Diana wiped the portal closed. The pilots who'd been getting into their jets had frozen when they'd appeared on deck. Then the techs and pilots who weren't in their cockpits began shooting at them.

Diana's and Steve's shields still blocked the gunfire, but her offensive weapon couldn't reach the soldiers. Then, white concussive blasts exploded one of the jets, followed by a few more.

"The party don't start 'til I walk in." Tony snarked over the coms before a few more blasts destroyed the HYDRA soldiers who'd been shooting at them. "Cleared the way for you for the moment."

Steve saluted and the two of them headed toward the helicarrier mainframe.

Then, "Falcon, status? I've lost track of you." Hill's voice came over the coms.

"Engaging." Sam replied and Diana caught a glimpse of Falcon as he soared through the sky being chased by jets from one of the other helicarriers. She turned her focus back to the run to the mainframe.

"I got your six, Birdboy." Ironman blasted one of the jets out of the sky.

"Falcon." Sam told the billionaire his codename.

"Right. Birdboy."

An exasperated sigh came over the coms, but no reply. Then Sam's voice came over the coms again, "Alright Cap, I'm going in."

Diana and Steve got to the doors to the mainframe and the Captain flung open the door and held his shield. There was no one on the other side.

"Eight minutes, Cap, Shieldmaiden." Agent Hill told them.

"We're working on it." Steve said back as he ripped off a panel and saw the computer chips that ran the helicarrier.

Diana kept watch at the door, her shield facing the threshold just in case there were other HYDRA soldiers on the carrier. Moments later she heard Steve say aloud and in her com, "Alpha locked."

"Falcon? Where are you now?" Hill asked over the coms.

"Had to make a detour. Stark helped fix it, though. Couple of bogeys surprised us." Sam replied. A couple moments passed before Falcon shouted, "Oh yeah!"

Diana could see from her vantage point and explosion on one of the other helicarriers, "You okay Sam?"

"Didn't even get cooked." He replied, then, "I'm in." Followed by, "Bravo locked."

Steve looked to Diana, "Time for the last chip."

Her hand went to her robe pocket, "Omega." She produced her Sling ring.

"Officially, it should be called 'Charlie', but I like yours better." The Captain smirked at her.

Diana paused, "I need to see which helicarrier I'm aiming for. I don't want to send us to the wrong one."

"They all do look the same, don't they?" The two of them stepped out, and Diana turned to the only undamaged helicarrier in the sky.

She waved her hand in a circle and a ring of sparking gold formed in the air, "Last one, Steve. You ready?"

"Let's end this."

"Bucky's probably gonna be there."

Steve's lips thinned, "Then we'll both just have to try our best to jog his memory."

They both stepped through with their shields in front of them, expecting gunfire from the agents onboard, or maybe even the Winter Soldier.

"Guys, I'm grounded!" Sam said, "The damn Winter Soldier ripped off one of my wings when I did a low flyby! Luckily Stark caught me before I went splat. Sorry you guys."

"Don't worry about it." Steve told his friend, "We got this."

"Yeah, Sam, take care of yourself." Diana told him, "Get somewhere safe."

"You got it." He paused, "And what was my name again?"

She grinned fondly, "Sorry. Chocolaccino."

Sam laughed before his com went offline.

"Let's go." Steve directed and began to stride in the direction of the final helicarrier mainframe.

As they entered the mainframe, they both realized that this place was completely different from the other one they'd seen.

"Oh look - a giant hole for us to fall down and land on easily shatterable glass. Tony's been watching _Star Wars_ again."

"That's actually a thing?" Steve gave a side glance at her.

Diana shrugged, "It's a bit of a cliche now in sci-fi movies."

"Huh. I guess I haven't seen enough to-" Steve stopped suddenly before crossing the bridge to the mainframe and his grip tightened on his shield. "People are gonna die, Buck." The Winter Soldier stood calmly before them, "I can't let that happen."

"Do you want to take this or should I?" Diana asked, her fingers sparked gold as she readied them to create a whip. She watched the Soldier's eyes flick to her and then to her hand before they narrowed.

"Me. Use a portal. Get it done." The Captain ordered, not taking his eyes off the Soldier.

Diana took a few steps back, "I'd tell you to be careful, but sometimes I think you enjoy getting the snot beaten out of you." She slipped on the Sling ring just as Steve threw his shield at the Soldier.

Her portal jumped the bridge behind the Soldier, who whirled around to try to strike at her. However, not only was she out of arm's reach, but Steve grabbed the Soldier's arm and wrenched it behind his back. The Soldier grunted, and Diana was able to turn to the console and, using Steve's strength, ripped off the panel. She looked for the correct chip location as her heart beat wildly.

"Diana!" Her head snapped up at Steve's call, and she was barely in time to dodge a piece of flying debris the Soldier had ripped out of the structure and thrown at her.

"Holy shit." She gasped, covering her head a bit. Then she realized she'd dropped the chip through the openings in the grated floor, "Steve! The chip!"

Her call caused the Captain to be distracted for a second, and he screamed when the Soldier buried a knife in his shoulder.

"Oh, it's on." Diana summoned her whip and shield before shouting, "You asked for this, you stupid-face!"

The Soldier's head whipped around, his eyes blue shards of ice as he glared at her. Steve was able to get away and dive for the chip. The Soldier looked between his two targets, trying to decide which he needed to go after - the runner or the attacker.

"Man, I wish I had the Cloak of Levitation." Diana grumbled as she used her whip to swing down to the Soldier and keep him distracted while Steve put in the chip, "Or the Mirror Dimension. That'd be nice. Less damage to reality."

"One minute." Diana heard Hill say over the com.

Then…

BANG! BANG!

"STEVE!" Diana screamed, and she turned on the Soldier, anger fueling her magic and making her whip crackle, "That's it. I'm calling this whole thing off." She hoped the code word would work like it had back in Selvig's mind gem consciousness, "Sorry, Bucky, but this has gotta end." He aimed the gun at her and she lashed out with her whip. The magic caught the handgun, but the Soldier kept his grip, struggling against her own. She pulled hard, and the gun went off. The glass cracked beneath her feet. "SPUTNIK!" She shouted.

The Soldier paused, his brow furrowing for a moment before he wrenched the gun from her slightly relaxed grip and fired. Diana raised her shield, "I said 'Sputnik!'" It wasn't working. He didn't go into shut down. It didn't work in this world. Diana started to panic, "Come on, snap out of it, you stupid-face!"

The gun went off again and grazed her leg. Diana stumbled back with a scream and her magic vanished. She saw the Soldier begin his approach. His eyes narrowed and a scowl formed on his face. As he stepped lightly onto the cracked glass floor, it shattered under her feet.

For a moment, Diana felt weightless, and she saw the Soldier's eyes go wide. Something flashed across his face, and he dropped his gun and lunged toward her, his metal arm outstretched. He barely caught her by the collar of her robes, and she could even feel that he'd gotten hold of the necklace she wore under it. The chain dug into the back of her neck.

Although his grip was solid, her clothes couldn't take the weight and slowly began to tear. Diana stared at the Soldier and could see Bucky peeking out from behind the ice in those blue eyes. She reached toward him and… her collar ripped and the chain snapped.

"NO!" Bucky howled, finally breaking through the Winter Soldier programming.

Diana fell from the helicarrier, watching Bucky return just for that moment. Well, this would be a good way to die. She closed her eyes.

Then someone caught her.

"Usually, when you go skydiving, you use a parachute." Tony's robotic voice snarked.

She breathed a sigh of relief, "Shut up Tony."

"Would you prefer it if I started singing, 'It's raining women! Hallelujah, it's raining women'?"

"Don't make me punch you. I'm pretty sure my current strength would put a dent in your faceplate."

Tony laughed, "I'm just glad I got to you in time. What the hell happened? You look like shit." They landed at the side of the Potomac River and the billionaire set her down on her feet. She winced as the bullet graze made itself known through a lightning strike of pain going up her thigh.

"I got shot."

"That's usually not recommended on any mission."

"It wasn't on purpose!"

She could almost see Tony's teasing smile behind the mask. Then his voice came out in a serious tone, "Should I go help Cap?"

"I'm pretty sure he's got it handled…" She looked up at the helicarrier she'd fallen from.

"Chips activated." Hill's voice came over the coms, "What now?"

"We wait for JARVIS to work his magic." Ironman replied.

Suddenly, the helicarrier in front of them tilted at an odd angle, "Is that supposed to happen?" Diana questioned Tony.

"Noooooo."

"Cap, get out of there!" Hill shouted into the coms.

"Steve, get out now! Something's wrong with the helicarrier!" Diana agreed with Agent Hill.

Something small fell from the helicarrier, "That's Cap's shield." Tony informed her, "I should-"

"Don't." Diana put out a hand to stop Ironman.

"Why the hell not?!"

"Bucky will save him." She said with complete confidence, "You need to go. If the Soldier sees you, he might revert to killing us again. You're a stranger, so he won't even have a vague frame of reference to care whether you live or die. Steve and I do."

"You sure? I mean, I could just fly over there and-" A body fell from the helicarrier, "Goddamnit, I'm gonna-" Another body dove after the first, "Huh…" Tony turned to Diana, "You sure you got this?"

"Tony, stop dad-ing me. I need to go find them."

"Don't even think about smashing this com. Call me if you need anything." Ironman took off into the sky.

Diana turned to the river and began to limp toward its bank. She moved some branches aside and saw a very wet Winter Soldier startle and raise his metal arm to defend the target (?) he'd just saved. She raised her hands, "I'm here to help him." She noticed something silver glinting in his flesh hand.

Cautiously, Diana took a step closer. The Winter Soldier tensed and she paused, "Please let me help him. He's my best friend, just like he's yours." She watched the Soldier's jaw twitch, "Please, Bucky." She took another step forward so that she was standing right in front of the defending Soldier.

He looked down at her with furrowed brows and searched her face. Then he raised the hand holding the locket and offered it to her.

"Keep it. It might help you remember." She told him softly, "Will you let me help Steve?" The Soldier pursed his lips and after a moment's hesitation, stepped aside, "Thanks, Buck." She was tempted to touch him, but refrained because she was unsure how he'd react to a touch.

Diana approached Steve and knelt next to her friend, "I bet this is what you sometimes looked like after all those alley fights. You punk." She began to make the healing hand gestures when a gloved hand gripped her forearm. Diana looked up to see the Soldier's darkened expression. "I'm not gonna hurt him, you stupid-face."

Something flickered through his eyes, and his grip loosened. His hand remained with a light touch, reminding her that he was there. Diana completed the gestures and began to heal Steve's wounds.

The Soldier watched her work. "You can ask questions, you know. We're not HYDRA, and you're not a weapon." Diana told him as she healed the worst of Steve's flesh injuries, mostly around his face, before moving on to the broken bones. He would need a hospital for the gunshots.

He still said nothing, but his eyes focused on her glowing hands.

"It's magic." She explained, "I've been studying it since I woke up in this time - 2011 to be exact, so three years." Diana paused in her healing, "Wow… it's really been that long… Huh." She glanced at the Soldier, "Go figure."

There was a snap of twigs and the Soldier's touch left her arm. Diana looked up and realized that he had vanished. She sighed, "Dammit. I'll find you, I promise."

Natasha appeared from the thicket of trees, "There you are."

"Hey. Just let me finish and we can drag his unconscious ass somewhere safer than a river bank." Diana told the Black Widow.

"You're bleeding."

"It's just a flesh wound." The blonde shrugged it off, although it was still very painful, and completed the healing on Steve, "I can get it looked at later."

"Want some help lugging the Captain out of here?"

Diana nodded, "I may have borrowed Steve's strength, but help is always nice to have."

"Then you're going to a hospital to get that graze looked at."

"Fine, fine."

*FMttM*

By the early afternoon, Tony was able to clean out the HYDRA soldiers and safely lock down and land the helicarriers with JARVIS at the helm. Happily, there was no damage to Washington DC. Unhappily now the politics of the situation reared its ugly head.

Diana was called up in front of a committee to figure out what just happened with this secret government agency.

"Your name is Miss Diana Larson, is it not?" A committee member asked.

"Yes, that's right."

"And what is it exactly that you do?"

"I work for Mr. Stark, compiling a history of superheroes here on Earth. I scrounge up articles -like the kidnapping of Peter Quill in 1988, rumors, urban legends, conspiracy theories - like the Cold War heroes Antman and Wasp. Then I cross reference to see how much truth there is in the historical context of enhanced people."

"That's not what I meant, Miss Larson."

"Oh? Well, you'll have to be more specific." Tony's snark had definitely rubbed off on her. That and politicians really annoyed her.

"Your codename is Shieldmaiden. Your file says you can do magic. Explain that."

"You can call it magic. Or you can science it up by saying that I can manipulate interdimensional energy. For the past three years I have learned to draw on this energy and, with the right hand gestures, mold it for specific purposes - like a shield or a whip."

"Is that all you can do?"

"No." She answered simply. Matt had told her once upon a time to keep her answers short and simple.

"What else can you do?"

"I don't see how that's relevant to the case." Diana frowned, "I can do stuff that anyone with an open enough mind can learn."

"It's relevant because we need to know if you're a threat to our country - err the world."

"You want to know what threats are currently present in the world?" She asked, "I'll give you a list. One - The Hand. They're like HYDRA lite, and instead of soldiers and guns, they have ninjas and blades. Their dynasty dates back to when Istanbul was Constantinople. One of their leaders is involved with the Chinese Triad. Another is an African warlord. Another is a businesswoman right here in America. The fourth and fifth are a bit more reclusive, but that doesn't mean they aren't a threat since one recruits homeless kids and the other just likes to dissect things for fun."

The committee member started to open his mouth again, but Diana continued, "Let's see… Oh! Two - I'm pretty sure somewhere in the midwest, behind a Dairy Queen, is the seed of an ancient species of being whose name translates to Celestial. His goal is to make the universe like him, and he planted that seed to turn Earth into… well… him. If you find it and destroy it, I won't have to try to deal with it when it activates.

"Three - the Purple Man, also known as Kilgrave, was experimented on as a child in an attempt to cure some brain disease he had. The experiments cured his disease, but also gave him the ability to control other people's wills through an airborne virus transmitted through his voice and breath that right now lasts eight hours. He's currently a small time bad guy, with a very specific obsession, but he could become very dangerous if left alive.

"Four - HYDRA is also not entirely dead. They're spread throughout the world; Von Strucker and others are still out there. Shall I go on? I haven't even gotten to the real Big Bad yet."

"You didn't answer my question, Miss Larson. Are you a danger to our world?"

"Of course not! Why would I want to destroy the world? I'm one of the idiots who lives in it! And rule the world?" She scoffed, "That would be WAY too much paperwork and paranoia that someone would try to assassinate me."

"Speaking of assassins, do you know where the Winter Soldier is?"

"At this very moment?" Diana paused to think before shaking her head, "Nope. I've no idea. He's smart, though, so he could've made his way to Europe by now if he really wanted to."

"Is the Winter Soldier a danger?"

"Only if provoked. He was brainwashed and probably drugged for the past 70 odd years. He was continuously given electroshock therapy to keep his memories at bay. Before and after each mission, HYDRA would shock him. Then, they would put him in cryofreeze to save him for the next mission. They treated him like a thing! A weapon to be taken out and put away as they pleased!" She glared at the committee, "Before the brainwashing, he fought for the US. He was loyal to this country! Now, he's the world's longest serving POW."

"You seem to be pretty passionate about this subject, so I must ask: what's your connection to James Buchanan Barnes?" A different committee member asked.

"We knew each other during the War. The rest is personal."

"And how'd you get here? I doubt you were frozen like Captain America and Barnes. You said yourself that your powers are learned, not innate."

"Magic."

"You need to give us a better answer than that."

"I got put in stasis by magic." She replied sarcastically.

"Why didn't you just live out your life after the War ended?"

Diana pursed her lips, "And what does this have to do with this case? Do I need to call my lawyer? Because I have a lawyer." And a damn good one too. He'd probably wipe the floor with these bozos.

"No, no. You don't have to do that." The committee member backed off.

"Are we done here? I have things to do. People to find."

"Yes," the first committee member told her, "we're done. Sorry to take up your time." He glared at the other member who'd spoken, "Miss Romanoff had already given us all the information we needed to make a decision."

"Right. Well, thank you for your time." Diana stood and strode out of the committee room. Leeches.

*FMttM*

An exhausted Diana and Steve returned to his apartment to collapse for the night. She knew that the entire Triskelion incident was being broadcast on TV, and that her identity as Shieldmaiden was now widely known to the public.

Her phone, a replacement from Tony that she'd picked up from Sam's, rang. Foggy was calling, "Hey, Foggy. What's up?"

"Oh, just watching the news and finding out that one of my friends is an AVENGER!" He informed her. Diana grimaced as he continued, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted a piece of my life to be normal, Fog. All this superhero-ing takes a toll and having a slice of normal pie life is sometimes all that keeps me from going insane." She explained.

Foggy paused, considering, "Okay. I guess I can understand that."

"It was also about protecting my non-super friends, although now it's pretty much a moot point." Diana glared at the TV, despite it being turned off. Steve didn't want to relive the incident and neither did Diana.

"I'll be on the lookout, I promise." Foggy told her, "Are you okay? I mean, I'm betting you got hurt during that fight, but you're talking, and you sound fine, so-"

"I got grazed by a bullet on the leg and got pretty bruised up, but I'll be fine. I think I'll limp around a little bit just to remind myself about how stupid I've been recently."

"Don't do that." Foggy admonished, "You saved the world! Again! I knew Shieldmaiden took part in the Incident a couple years ago, but I didn't know it was you at the time. Man, I'm friends with an Avenger! This is awesome! Wait 'til Matt hears about this!"

"He'll probably lecture me on how dangerous it is." Diana told Foggy.

He laughed, "Yeah, I bet he would. Okay, I gotta get back to not being poor, so I'll talk to you later."

"Thanks for calling, Foggy. Bye!" Diana hung up her phone.

*FMttM*

Diana was finally able to collapse in Steve's apartment after a long, challenging (both physically and emotionally) day. The Captain would be released in the morning and they would all go to Nick Fury's fake funeral and to his fake grave.

She was woken up at 3:37 AM by her phone, "Hey Matt. How was parkour training?"

"Can you come?" He asked through clenched teeth.

In an instant, she was fully awake, "Of course. Give me a couple minutes."

"I'll be in my apartment. Hurry." He hung up.

Diana was about to get dressed in something presentable before she realized that Matt wouldn't be able to see what she was wearing anyway. She didn't care if her clothes got bloodied up; those could be washed, and Steve was too polite to even open her door without permission if she was in her pajamas.

With her Sling ring on her finger, she created a portal to Matt's apartment.

"Matt!" She called out.

There was a bit of movement in the shadows and Daredevil's black-clad form slumped into a bit of light. His mask was off, showing the beginnings of a black eye, a split lip, and a bit of bleeding from one ear on the same side as the other injuries. His ungloved knuckles were also pretty bloodied up. However, what worried her most was the dark stains on the hand that was holding his right side.

"Jesus." She whispered and rushed over, "What the hell happened?"

"A few gang members." Matt wheezed out, "One caught me by surprise with a switchblade."

"Stab or cut?"

"Stab. Right between the ribs. He nicked my lung. It's a bit hard to breath."

"Matty," Diana admonished as she lifted his shirt and began to make the healing hand gestures, "you need better armor. Not this Dread Pirate Roberts thing you have going on."

"I know, but I don't know anyone who could make it for me."

"I could ask Tony."

"No." Matt snapped, "My identity would be all over the news in two seconds if he got involved. I can hear the headlines 'Blind Lawyer Fights Injustice with Fists'. No, I want to keep a very, very low profile."

"I'd just need your measurements." She told him quietly as she finished healing the stab wound, "Tony could probably create something from just that and the name the media has given you." Diana moved on to the other injuries on his body.

"I don't want any of the other Avengers involved." Matt told her.

"What about Steve?"

The blind lawyer hesitated, "Captain Rogers would be an exception. He doesn't seem the type to advertise secret identities."

"You have no idea." Diana agreed, finishing with healing his body and moving on to his face.

They sat in silence as she worked her healing magic before Matt spoke again, "Foggy told me you were on the news in DC - the Triskelion Incident."

"Yeah. HYDRA took over SHIELD." Diana finished with healing his face.

"Who shot you?" Matt asked. Diana blinked and looked at him. His sightless gaze was turned toward the far wall.

"The Winter Soldier. He was HYDRA's special assassin."

"Was?"

"Previously known as Bucky Barnes." Diana explained, "Due to multiple sessions of electroshock brainwashing and experimentation, he didn't remember a thing about his past. Not even his own name."

"That's… barbaric. Will he be okay?"

"Eventually. Stay on the lookout for a guy who probably smells like gunpowder, leather, blood, and sweat, and has a metal left arm."

"Why?"

"I'm sure he'll be heading to Brooklyn in the near future. It's where Bucky and Steve grew up."

"And he would have to pass through Hell's Kitchen on his way there." Matt surmised.

"Right, but just watch him. He'll probably know you're watching him, because, you know, best assassin in the world, but still… I don't want you getting hurt or killed."

"I'll listen from at least a block away if he comes through here."

"Good. You're going out every night, aren't you?"

The blind lawyer looked a little guilty and hid his bloody knuckle hands, "I have."

"How've you been treating your hands? Or better yet, how've you been explaining the cuts and bruises that I haven't been here to heal?"

"I walked into a door. I fell. I didn't know that thing was there." He replied as he reluctantly held out his hands for her to heal, "Stuff like that."

"Really Matt?"

"Foggy thinks I'm finding girls and taking them home." Matt looked a little embarrassed, "I haven't corrected him. I don't want him to know about… what I can do. It'll just put him in danger."

"He found out about me. That puts him in bigger danger than he would be if he found out about you."

Matt sighed, "I know. It's just… I don't want to give up on the normalcy of our friendship. Once he finds out, that normal feeling goes out the window."

"I know what you mean. I told him exactly that when he asked why I didn't tell him about being an Avenger." She finished with his knuckles, "Any other injuries that need healing?"

Matt ran his fingers over his knuckles, his face, and then his side where the stab wound had once been, "You got it all."

"Good." Diana stood and stretched before she stepped toward her still open portal, "You'll let me know if you sense Bucky, right?"

"Of course."

"Thanks, Matt." She smiled, "And tell me even when your knuckles are bruised. You can't continue lying like this. Your confessions must contain ninety percent 'I lied to so-and-so' as your sin of choice."

Matt stood as well and looked toward her portal, "That's still very weird. I can smell the apartment on the other side from here. Although the portal adds a burnt smell to the scents coming through."

"That's kind of cool." Diana commented. Then she stepped over to Matt and gave him a hug, "Be more careful out there, Matty." She told him as he hugged her back.

"I will."

"Good." She drew back with a small smile, "I'll talk to you again soon."

"Thanks for patching me up."

"Always." She stepped through the portal and closed it behind her. Her clock said 4:22 AM when she collapsed back onto her bed.

*FMttM*

Steve, Sam, and Diana stood around Nick Fury's fake grave. The man himself stood by them as well wearing dark sunglasses and a hoodie, the hood covering most of his head. But the four of them could see his face.

"So, you've experienced this sort of thing before?" Fury asked Steve.

The Captain shrugged, "You get used to it."

"I'm not used to it, and I was expecting it." She then pointed to the epitaph, "Why that?" She asked Fury.

He smirked a little, "That passage has always stood out to me. Why do you ask?"

"Where I come from, there's a movie called Pulp Fiction." Diana smiled, "It's what made Samuel L. Jackson famous. That and being Jedi Master Mace Windu and Zeus in Die Hard: With A Vengeance."

"He had good choices. I've seen all three of those movies."

"He's a B.A.M.F." Her grin widened, "He even made an audio recording for - sorry Steve, but this is the title of the children's book - Go the Fuck to Sleep."

Fury smirked, "That almost sounds like something I'd do." His expression returned to its normal solemness as he turned his attention back to the Steve, "Stark's been looking over all the files from the flashdrive in detail and mining through the files I put online. With JARVIS able to translate the German and Russian, I think we'll know everything HYDRA has done over the last seventy years. Hopefully, there'll be a list of other bases in that data too. So, I'm heading to Europe tonight, was wondering if any of you would come."

"There's something I have to do first." Steve told the former Director.

"Wilson? What about you? We could use a man with your abilities."

"I'm more of a soldier than a spy." Sam replied.

Fury nodded and turned to Diana, "You seem to be able to pop up wherever you please. Fancy a trip to Europe?"

"If it wasn't tonight, I'd go, but there are important things that I need to get done here too." She answered.

"Hmmm…" Fury gave her a knowing look as his hidden eye flicked to Steve, "Perhaps the same things the Captain must do."

"Sorry."

The former director waved off the apology, "Alright, well," he shook Steve's, Sam's, and Diana's hands, "if anyone asks for me, tell them they can find me right here." Fury gave the gravestone one last look before striding away.

Natasha, who had been hanging back under the shade of a tree approached the three of them, "You should be honored, that's about as close as he gets to saying thank you."

"Not going with them?" Steve asked.

Natasha shook her head, "No."

The Captain raised his eyebrows, "Not staying here?"

"I blew all of my covers. No covers, no spying. So, I have to go figure out new ones."

"That'll take a while." Steve understood her dilemma, "But don't forget that we're here to support you too."

"I know, but I want to help by using my entire skill set. It'll be worth it." She then took out a file, "That thing you asked me about…" She handed it to him, "Stark compiled all the information HYDRA had on the project to give to you. He even said he'd help."

"Why didn't he come?" Diana asked, although she could guess the answer.

Natasha's lips curved up a bit, "In a surprising decision erring toward discretion, Stark knew that coming here might blow Fury's cover. I think Pepper had something to do with it too. The file's for you to look at too."

"Okay…" The blonde replied softly, "Thank you."

"Steve -"

"Yeah?"

"Do me a favor and call that nurse."

The Captain's cheeks turned a bit pink as he replied, "She's not a nurse."

Natasha's smirk widened, "And you're not a SHIELD Agent."

"What was her name again?" Steve's eyes flicked from Natasha to Diana, knowing that they both had the answer.

"Sharon." The ginger and blonde answered at the same time, although Diana added, "Carter."

Natasha nodded, "She's nice." She went up on her toes slightly and kissed Steve on the cheek, "Be careful, Steve. You might not want to pull on that thread." She indicated the folder on the Winter Soldier, "Some of the stuff in there… it even made me sick."

"I understand." Steve told her. The ginger nodded and walked off in the same direction as Fury.

"So, we're going after him?" Sam asked.

"Is there really any other option?" Diana moved closer to Steve who had opened the file. Inside was a photograph of Bucky while he was in cryosleep and many pages of writing in German, some Swiss, and Russian.

"You don't have to come with us." Steve told his new friend.

Sam scoffed, "I know. When do we start?"

Steve looked to Diana, "All I know is that he's still in DC, probably figuring out a way to tend to his wounds. He'll head to the Smithsonian next because of the Captain America exhibit before most likely heading to Brooklyn and then abroad to places he starts to remember from the war and his missions."

"Any idea when he'll be at the Smithsonian?" Steve asked.

Diana shook her head, "Timelines are a bit muddled, so I'm not really sure."

The Captain's expression looked a bit pained, "He's out there alone. What if he gets captured again and has his memories erased?"

"He won't. From what I remember, once he's done travelling, if he doesn't come to us before then, we could find him in Romania shopping for plums."

"Not to discount your knowledge and stuff, but we should find him sooner rather than later." Sam told her, "Barnes is unstable. He needs help, not being alone."

"Then we'll find him when he goes to Brooklyn." She told them, "He'll be passing through Hell's Kitchen, and I have Daredevil watching out for him."

Steve's brows furrowed, "Who?"

"Daredevil. New street level fighter for Hell's Kitchen only going up against the scum that are a bit too lowly than what the Avengers deal with." Diana replied.

"Murdock?" The Captain asked quietly. She looked a bit surprised, and was about to reply when Steve gave a curt nod remembering that she talked about Matt starting some crime fighting, "Makes sense. He's got the power; I'm glad he's putting it to good use. He's gotta be good considering his disability."

"He's one of the best. We'll talk to him when we go to New York. I bet he'd even help us find Bucky."

"We'll head there in a few days, then." Steve decided.

"Who's Daredevil?" Sam reiterated.

"Daredevil's grandfather was captured by HYDRA in WWII. Zola had lost Bucky, so I guess he started all over again with another soldier. Luke got out, but he had a diluted version of the serum in his veins. Stronger, faster, more durable, but not up to my serum's caliber. Not even up to Bucky's serum's caliber, since he could fight me head on without problems."

"So Daredevil's another super soldier."

"Twice removed," Diana put in, "He was trained as a kid by a group called The Chaste. SHIELD, and I guess HYDRA, knew of them, but Stick is really good at keeping himself and his guys at a low profile. They have their own job to do. And they're basically ninjas."

"That's totally awesome!" Sam grinned, "Can I meet this Daredevil dude?"

"That's up to him." She couldn't help but smile at Sam's enthusiasm.

"We might not even need to go to New York. I still need to return the uniform I stole." Steve said, "Tony said he'd make me a new, better one. You never know, we might catch Bucky at the Smithsonian."

"Stark's looking at my wings right now. He took them while you were playing sleeping beauty." Sam put in, "You're gonna have to wait your turn."

Steve couldn't help but smile and put an arm around each of his friends as they made their way out of the cemetery.


	18. Recovering What Was Lost

**The Winter Soldier is on the run. The question is follow canon or find him?**

 **In other news, I've finished my rough draft _Age of Ultron_! Wooo! That was a hard one to get through for some reason. Now there's going to be another interlude. I have grand plans that may or may not happen because I haven't actually gotten around to writing them yet, and as I'm writing, my story seems to go in directions that I didn't expect.**

 **Anyway, enjoy and review!**

 ***FMttM***

While Steve's suit was getting cleaned over the next few days by a discrete company Tony had sent the uniform to, the four of them split the paper copies of the Winter Soldier file and began to read.

Tony was also using JARVIS to keep an eye out on city cameras around the DC area and within the Smithsonian Museum to see if Bucky would turn up. There was a report of stolen clothing, shirt, hoodie, trousers, etc. from a store a couple days after the Triskelion incident, but the police could find no trace of the perpetrator. The camera evidence had been destroyed; the power wires of every camera in the store were cut when the owner came in the next day. Tony guessed that it was likely Bucky who stole the clothes.

Steve finally got the copy of his WWII uniform back, and he, Diana, and Sam went to return it to the museum. The Captain apologized profusely to the curators as he handed the uniform back, but they were actually more than happy because the specimen had now been worn in battle, although a recent one, by Captain America himself! It gave the uniform a story of its own. The new text had already been decided on if the uniform was returned: Replica of the WWII uniform worn by Captain America. Officially worn into battle for the Triskelion Incident on January 12, 2014.

The uniform was quickly put back on the mannequin between a replica of Bucky's uniform and Dum Dum's actual uniform. Patrons crowded around the replaced uniform, talking about the Triskelion Incident and how they were very happy that none of the helicarriers had crashed.

"Should we stick around to see if he shows?" Sam asked.

Steve frowned from under his baseball cap, "I wish I could, but as soon as someone sees me, I'll probably be mobbed."

"The curse of being a celebrity."

"I'll wait." Diana told them, "You boys go off and do - boy things. I want to go through the museum again since we skipped some of it last time."

The Captain nodded, "Okay. Call if you need anything."

"I will."

The two soldiers left and Diana looked at the uniformed mannequins again. She approached the display to finally read the captions below each uniform. She remembered each Howling Commando clearly, especially Dum Dum and Morita. Except for Steve and Bucky, Diana had known those two the best. They had been good men fighting the good fight.

She moved on to the exhibit that cataloged Steve's life before the serum. There were little anecdotes from neighbors who'd been interviewed after the war. Barnes and Rogers. One gets into fights, the other finishes them. Both honorable men. Some anecdotes made her smile-a young woman told a story about a double date she and her friend went on with Barnes and Rogers to Coney Island that hadn't ended well. Other stories made her sad - a relative of Steve's told about how the boy had handled his mother's death.

Diana spent a long time reading about Steve's early life which hadn't been in the movies before continuing to his military service. Here, she knew most of it, but she watched all the video clips all the same. A couple times she caught the back of her own head, but those clips were edited quickly after the sighting.

Finally she got to the part of the exhibit on James Buchanan Barnes. The Smithsonian hadn't altered anything in that part of the exhibit yet to accommodate the information Natasha had released five days ago.

Diana stood in front of the dedication wall for Bucky and reread the caption. After a moment of reading the words, she felt a pair of eyes on her. She turned and saw a man wearing a baseball cap duck his head and shove his hands into his pockets.

Before she could stop herself, she was striding over to him. Sure enough, it was Bucky. He kept his head bowed even once she stopped in front of him, "You found me." Diana murmured. His shoulders tensed, and he looked off to the side, "Bucky, are you alright? Did all of your wounds heal okay?"

Still tense, he gave a short nod. His head was a little less bowed than it had been when she approached. She could almost see his baby blue eyes under the bill of the cap.

"I'm alright. So's Steve. He heals just as fast as you do." Diana told Bucky. His breath sounded a lot like a sigh. "Do you - do you want to go through the exhibit? I can either go with you or you can go through by yourself."

"I don't…" He started before he sucked in a breath, "I don't remember any of this." Bucky slowly raised his gaze to Diana's, "That guy whose face I wear… he's a hero. I'm… not."

Diana reached out a hand to lay it on his arm, but hesitated, "Can I touch you?"

Confusion flashed through his eyes, and he frowned a little. He then took his flesh hand out of his pocket and held it forward slightly. Diana gently took that hand, noting the differences between this hand of the modern Bucky and the hand of WWII Bucky. His hands had gotten rougher from knife and weapon usage throughout the years.

"Did you come straight here or did you go through the first parts of the exhibit about Steve?" She asked.

"Here."

Diana nodded, "There's quite a bit of information throughout Steve's exhibit that has you in it."

Bucky nodded. So, they both returned to the beginning, Diana gripping Bucky's hand tightly as she led him through the crowds. His eyes darted around, looking for all escape routes and for any threats.

As they got to the end of Steve's early life, Bucky turned to her and asked, "Where were you?"

"I hadn't gotten here yet." Diana explained, "My life is really complicated. It'll make more sense when you remember."

"Will I remember?"

Diana bit her lip, "Yes. And not all of it's good."

"I've remembered a few of my recent missions." His expression was twisted with guilt, and he dropped her hand.

"We'll help you if you want us to." Diana said, "Steve's practically biting at the bit to have his brother-in-arms back. Sam's counseled many soldiers going through trauma, even while dealing with his own. And Tony has a ton of money! He can pay for the best and most discreet counselors the world can offer. We and they will definitely be able to help you remember."

"I don't even know your real name."

"I can fix that right now." She said, "Diana Larson."

Bucky stared for a moment, "... Bucky."

She beamed at him, "Nice to meet you, Bucky." She, however, saw that he was getting uncomfortable, "Do you want to keep going? Or do you just want to get out of here?"

"Stay." Bucky replied and the two of them continued through the museum. While watching some of the video's in his biographical section, his hand found hers again. She glanced toward him as he watched the short video on the capturing of the Wehrmacht soldiers before smiling a little to herself.

Toward the end of the exhibit, Bucky turned to her and asked quietly, "Why aren't you afraid of me?"

"Should I be?" Diana asked.

His expression darkened, "I don't want you to be, but you should be."

"Well, then it's a good thing I'm not." She held up their entwined hands, "I know things are messed up. I know you don't remember a lot, but you'll get it back."

"I won't be him."

"I know. You are both Bucky Barnes and the Winter Soldier. The skills and the memories make up who you are now. We all change, when you really think about it. We're all different people all throughout our lives. Before I came here, I was simply Diana, pre-med student. Then I was Diana, nurse for the Howling Commandos and the SSR. Then Diana, the sorceress. Now Diana, Shieldmaiden of the Avengers. But each one of those is a different person, shaped by my experiences. I am all of them, and all of them make up the me of today." She put a hand to her chest, "I will always remember the previous me's but I would never go back. Not for one moment. Not for anything in the universe."

"Why?" He asked.

"All that pain and suffering in the War, the people I met and cared for, all the practice and training… they've brought me here to this exact moment. You are not alone, Bucky. You have my support. You have Steve's and Sam's support. You even have Tony's support!" Which was saying something considering what HYDRA had done to him using the Winter Soldier.

"You'd probably like him. He's pretty cool once you get used to his rude snark. It's his way of showing affection; if he teases you relentlessly, he cares about you. He'd probably also love to get a look at your arm too." Bucky turned his left side far away from her and even stepped back, breaking their hand hold, "You'll always be Bucky, even if your memories are muddled, but you'll always be the Winter Soldier too." She told him, "You are both."

He looked thoughtful for a few moments before he nodded, "I need time. Alone."

A sad expression crossed her face, "I understand, and I can allow you that, even though I'd rather have you stay with me. I can't say the same about Steve, but I'll tell him you asked for time."

"Thank you." He clasped her hand one more time and brought it up to touch his forehead, as if the magic from her fingers would help him remember. Then he dropped her hand and left the museum quietly, avoiding cameras as best he could.

Diana watched him disappear into the crowd before turning back around to look at the display of Howling Commandos uniforms. She stared at Sergeant Barnes' uniform, "Stay safe, you stupid-face."

*FMttM*

When Diana returned to Steve's apartment (through the door this time), she saw the Captain stop pacing in the living room.

"You were gone for a while. Are you okay? Did you see Bucky? Was he okay? Did his wounds heal? When can I see him?" He asked in a rapid fire of questions.

She smiled a little, "I'm fine. I did see Bucky. He was fine, and his wounds seemed to have healed. He also asked for time."

Steve's expression dropped, "He doesn't remember yet, does he?"

"No. He's a lot quieter than he used to be too."

The captain visibly drooped, "I just want Bucky back."

"Steve, there's something you have to understand," Diana touched his arm, "Bucky will never be the way he was before. There's just… too much that he's learned and too many memories of what HYDRA made him do. We're gonna have to accept him as he is, Winter Soldier and all."

"I know that. It's just… Even when I had nothing, I had Bucky. I just want to him to know he has the same with me."

"I promised him that we'd help him, but I think that he's been under the control of others for so long that he just needs to be his own man, his own person for a while."

Steve looked like someone had just kicked his puppy, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see him in Brooklyn… see if he'll let us help him."

"I hope so."

*FMttM*

A few days later Diana was back in New York the second Matt called to tell her Bucky had gone through Hell's Kitchen earlier that night. Daredevil had been forced to leave the Soldier at Fogwell's Gym to deal with an attempted homicide a couple blocks away. When he'd returned to the Gym, Bucky was gone without a trace.

Moments later, just as Diana and Steve stepped through the portal, they heard a noise on the fire escape. "Let me check." Steve told her and went to the window that connected to those metal stairs, perhaps hoping that Bucky had returned to Hell's Kitchen.

"It's probably just Daredevil." Diana told the Captain as she followed him. She peeked around his broad shoulders, trying to spot the lawyer in black.

Steve nodded and wrenched open the window. He looked into the shadows on the far side of the fire escape, "Daredevil." He obviously saw the vigilante.

Diana pulled Steve back from the window and Matt climbed in. He had a split lip and a bruise on the side of his face, "What happened to you?" She asked.

"Six guys were harassing some tenants in an apartment complex a few blocks away." Daredevil replied, "I put a stop to it." The Devil of Hell's Kitchen turned to Steve and held out his hand, "Pleasure to meet you, Captain. I admire your work."

"You don't have to stand on ceremony." Steve replied, but still shook the vigilante's hand, "It's just Steve when I'm not in the field, Mr. Murdock."

Matt's head swivelled in Diana's direction, "It's not that hard to figure out." She told him, "Especially since he knows about your grandfather and already knew you."

"Don't let it go any further."

"Just Team Cap, Matt."

He tensed, "How many is that?"

"Right now? Steve and I know everything. And Sam's heard of you, but doesn't know much. I'm pretty sure Nat could figure it out, though, since you were on the SHIELD watch list. She's observant like that."

Daredevil stepped further into the room and took off his mask, "I'm not used to people knowing who I am AND what I can do."

"Sorry. I know you put a lot of trust in me with your secrets."

His gaze rested just above her right shoulder, "Your necklace is missing." He frowned before his eyebrows went up, "He had it. The metal sense I got from his arm blended in with it, but I'm pretty sure he was wearing your necklace."

"What is it that you can do exactly?" Steve asked.

Matt turned toward the Captain, "After the accident that blinded me, I woke up with all my other senses turned up way past eleven. Hearing, smell, taste, touch. Everything."

"That's part of the serum, although I don't think I got it to that extent. It must've kicked in because you lost your sight." Steve looked thoughtful.

"He also heals a bit faster. Not by much, but faster than normal." Diana added, "And he and his dad could take a hit… kinda like another punk I know who could 'do this all day.'" She elbowed Steve.

"I'd like to talk about the serum more, but I know that's not what you came for." Matt rubbed at his eye, which was starting to swell up a bit.

"Want me to get rid of that?" Diana asked.

"Sure." He waited as she healed his face from its wounds.

"Are you sure you don't want me to get Tony to make you a suit? You wouldn't be getting hurt so much if you weren't in black workout clothes and a scarf."

"It's fine." Matt waved it off, "I'm doing what I can to help the people in my city both at night and when I'm at the office."

"I'm glad the people here are getting justice when the law doesn't give them help," the Captain nodded, "We need to head out to Brooklyn, though. You should come with us. With your heightened senses, we could find Bucky much faster than if we just looked."

The lawyer vigilante shifted awkwardly, "I try to temper my abilities when I'm in civilian clothes. I don't want people making connections."

"Matt, you'll be with us." Diana told him, "Anyone messes with you, they mess with us."

"I want to help, I do, but…" He trailed off, his unseeing eyes darting around the room; perhaps he was hearing things they couldn't. Finally he lowered his head, "I don't really have a good excuse. It's just… while I was at Columbia, I could hear everything going on around there, and it killed me to not be able to help without revealing what I can do and endangering the people I care about. If I go to Brooklyn, I'll know all about their problems too."

"I understand, Mr. Murdock." Steve nodded politely, "We'll let you get some sleep."

The vigilante sighed and gave a crooked smile, "It's Matt, and I'll come with you. I just need to change." He slipped his mask back on and opened the window himself, "I'll only be a couple minutes." He vanished up the fire escape to his apartment.

*FMttM*

The three of them took the subway from Hell's Kitchen to Brooklyn. Matt held on to Diana's arm so that he did, in fact, look like the blind young man he usually presented himself as.

"It'll be dawn in a couple hours. I don't know how long Barnes will stay in Brooklyn, so we should probably hurry." Matt told them.

"Considering his training and the people who're after him, he'll be trying to be as covert as possible." Steve replied, "I don't think he'll stay in one place for too long, maybe one or two days, but I know exactly where we should check."

"If he's trying to make sense of his memories," Diana added, "he'd probably try to go home or to where he worked before the war, right?"

"Exactly." Steve agreed.

Matt's head tilted to the side and he frowned, "No Barnes yet." His lips thinned.

"What is it?" Diana asked.

"Teenager with a knife wanting money from a woman." Matt paused, "He's high."

The Captain's jaw twitched, "How far?"

"Four blocks east." The lawyer answered quietly, "By the time we get there, it'll probably be over." Then the corner of his mouth twitched upward a bit, "She's handling it well, though, and being really brave. I think she can handle-" Matt huffed a short laugh, "She's got a taser and is threatening him with it... The kid's down, and I'm pretty sure she's calling the cops. I wish Hell's Kitchen had more people with her gumption."

"That's pretty amazing that you can tell all of that from here." Steve complimented.

Matt ducked his head, "Thanks, Captain."

"Steve."

The blind lawyer smiled a little, "Steve. Let's keep going."

"Where to first, Steve?" Diana asked, glad her two best friends were getting along.

"His family's old apartment. Come on. I know the way from here." The Captain strode down the street with Diana and Matt following close behind, "If he's not there, we'll check my family's old apartment, then our old apartment - if it's still there. It was kind of in a crummy part of town, so I wouldn't be surprised if it got torn down. Anyway, if he's not there, the docks where he worked."

The three of them walked quite a few blocks. Matt's fingers occasionally dug into Diana's arm when he heard something criminal going on, but he kept his senses open despite the pain and suffering he heard from Brooklyn.

"It's slightly better here than in Hell's Kitchen." Matt murmured, "At least the cops are actually dealing with this stuff and not letting it slide."

"Well, this is my home burrow." Steve glanced over his shoulder, "I'd like to think that people look up to Captain America."

"Many of them probably do look up to you. I know I did when I was a kid." The blind lawyer informed Steve.

The Captain flushed and let out a small sigh, "I never really wanted to be America's most popular symbol next to Uncle Sam. I just wanted to go fight in the War. I don't think I'm the hero history made me out to be. I was and am just a guy doing his duty for his country. I'm just Steve, and that's all I really want to be."

"I can understand that," Matt nodded, "but we can do things others can't and our sense of honor and duty and conscience won't let us stand by and let others suffer. Not if we have anything to say about it."

Diana made a strangled noise in her throat, making Steve stop and turn around, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, just thinking about a kid in Queens who'll get the 'with great power comes great responsibility' speech someday soon."

"Someone we'll have to look into?" The Captain asked.

"Nah. Tony'll handle the kid. He'll get to do the dad thing to him as much as he wants."

"I can't really see Tony being a dad." Steve started walking again.

Diana shrugged, "I think he'll do fine. Like all dads he'll probably mess up, but he's got the protective streak, especially when it comes to the family he's made."

The blind lawyer's head suddenly twitched and his nostrils flared, "Are we close to Barnes' old apartment?"

Steve's eyebrows went up, "How'd you know?"

"He was here for a long time." He pointed to a front stoop, "He sat there for a while. There's a very light impression from his left hand on one of the stairs."

Diana left go of Matt to run her hand along the stone stair, "I can feel it."

"There's just a little taste of the metal from his arm on that stair too. It's how I knew it was him." He replied as Diana had him take her arm again.

"How long ago?" Steve asked.

Matt shrugged, "I can't really tell that. Sorry." He tilted his head to the side and waited for a moment. Then he shook his head, "He's not nearby either."

Steve drooped a little, "That means he's not at my old place either. I'm just a block and a half further. And our apartment wasn't much further than that, so I bet he's not there either."

"To the docks then." Diana suggested.

"Right!" The Captain perked up.

"We should still walk past your old apartment to see if Barnes stopped there too. You never know what may have happened in the meantime." Matt pointed out.

"Sure. It's actually on the way." Steve told them, "Our shared apartment is a bit out of the way, though, so we could probably skip that one."

As they passed by Steve's place, he paused to run his hand down the metal railing on the front stoop, "I used to slide down that railing when I was well enough to do it. Buck nearly had a heart attack when I fell onto the cement the first time I tried it. He thought I'd broken something." The Captain gave a small smile and looked up at the apartment complex, "I wonder who lives in my old place now…?"

"Barnes was here too. He went to the alley, though, and -"

Steve laughed, interrupting Matt, "I bet he scaled the fire escape. It's how he got to my room when he didn't want to be home and didn't want my mom to know he was here."

The blind lawyer jerked his head toward the alley, "Do you want to take a look?"

"Sure, why not?"

The three of them went into the alley and Matt sent Diana a smirk as he let go of her arm and handed her his cane, "I'll be right back." He started to scale the fire escape himself and stopped about three floors up. He reached out to a window sill and brushed his fingers across the wood before he swung back down to the ground. "He was up there too, although he stayed sitting on the stairs. He left finger dents in the metal steps and on the window sill," Matt explained.

Diana's lips thinned, "I think he might be having flashbacks."

"That's a pretty good guess." Steve agreed, "I hope that they're of his childhood and not of his Winter Soldier missions."

"If we find him, we should be careful. There's no telling when his mind will be." She added.

Steve took one last look at the place he had called home for most of his life before turning out of the alley and leading them towards the docks.

The sky was just starting to get pink when Matt's tugged at Diana's arm, "He's there."

"You sure?"

"His arm makes very distinct sounds when he moves it." He confirmed.

Diana looked to Steve, "Do you want to try to get him or should I?"

"He probably wouldn't attack outright if he heard me. If he's in a flashback, I'd probably be a part of it, even though I don't look like I did back then."

"Okay. Give it a try. We'll be right behind you." Diana told the Captain.

Steve gave Diana a side hug and the three of them crept closer to the docks. A pier came into view and both Diana and Steve could see - and Matt could sense - the figure at the end.

"Bucky." Steve breathed. His eyes darted to Diana and she gave him an encouraging nod.

Cautiously the Captain approached on the Soldier's right and simply stood next to his friend. Diana looked to Matt, "Are they saying anything?"

The blind lawyer shook his head, "Not yet. It's actually a smart move - non-threatening. I think we should leave their conversation private, though."

She nodded, "I understand. We'll only make a move if things get nasty. You okay with showing your skills while in civilian clothes?"

"I'd rather not, but if I have to, I will." He paused, "Steve's talking now." Matt turned his head slightly, "I'll keep a watch out behind us. I don't think we were followed, but you never know."

Diana let go of Matt's arm and they both leaned against the wall of a nearby building, waiting. She started picking at her nails one by one.

Then, "Buck, wait!" Steve called out and there was a loud thunk. Matt straightened, ready for action, his head cocked to the side. "Please."

"I don't know you." Came Bucky's softer voice.

"Something here's gotta be familiar."

"I read that this was supposed to be where I came from," the Soldier admitted.

"And?" Steve sounded so eager, however the Soldier stayed quiet, "I know you remembered something. You went from your family's old apartment, to mine and even went up the fire escape like you used to when we were kids. That's gotta mean something!" There was a hiss, "Bucky! What's wrong?"

"No, no, no, no, no..." He then started mumbling to himself in another language.

"Buck. Please, let me help you."

"He's pushing too hard." Matt murmured as he cringed, "Blood pressure rising. This is not good."

"I'm going in." Diana told him.

"You sure?"

"No, but Steve's not known for restraint when it comes to saving Bucky."

"I'll be right here if you need me. I think two unfamiliar people will be enough for Barnes for now."

"Right." Diana wiped her hands on her jeans and took a deep breath, "Here we go." She approached the two men.

Bucky was leaning on a railing, his left hand squeezing the metal so hard that it had collapsed under his grip. Steve was at his right, looking stricken and worried at the same time. Bucky's head lowered. "How did you find me?"

"I know you better than anyone, even yourself, right now, Buck." Steve told him softly, "I just want to help you remember."

"You're not helping!" Bucky burst out before taking a deep breath and moving a few steps away from his old friend.

"Steve." Diana wanted to get the Captain's attention. Bucky tensed at the new voice and the blond man's eyes flicked to her, "Take a step back; you're pushing too hard." Diana told the Captain, "Whatever HYDRA did to him must've conditioned his brain to hurt if he ever remembered. They probably brought him to that machine," she snarled with righteous anger, "whenever he remembered. He's waiting for it to happen."

The Captain went pale, "No… I… I'm so sorry. I didn't think."

"Not an uncommon thing with you, punk." Bucky automatically told Steve.

The Captain beamed, "Yeah, that's true. I never do know when to give up."

The Soldier's shoulders relaxed slightly, "You should. Why do you even care?"

"Buck, we grew up here together. You were there when my mother died. You made sure I didn't get killed in the alleys of Brooklyn and on the battlefields of Europe. When you were gone, I didn't know what to do with myself."

"So he promptly crashed a plane into an iceberg." Diana stood on Bucky's left, not even remotely worried about his metal arm.

His eyes flicked to her, his brow furrowed, and he frowned, "He did what?"

"Diana…" Steve groaned.

"What? He leaves you alone for five minutes, and you decide to try and kill yourself. You're lucky it didn't stick!"

"Considering you told me it wouldn't -"

"Steven Grant Rogers! That's not the point!" She glared around Bucky, whose gaze looked very far away from the present, "I could've easily accidentally changed the timeline just by being present with the SSR and the Commandos! You could have actually died because I exist! I didn't know for sure; I only had hope that I hadn't completely messed up the universe!"

"You're an idiot, Steve." Bucky said before he blinked and looked shocked, "I - I don't know where that came from."

The Captain didn't even chastise his friend for his bad language. All he could do was grin, "That was pure James Buchanan Barnes."

The Soldier lowered his gaze, "I'll never be him again, you know."

"You're such a stupid-face." Diana told him, "None of us are the same as we were during the War. I already told you that."

Bucky ducked his head, "Yeah. I remember."

"Buck, Diana's right. Even I'm not the same as I was during the War, and especially before the War!" The Captain gave a slight smile at his attempt at humor. Diana simply rolled her eyes as he continued, "If you ever thought I'd expect you to be exactly the same, well, you're wrong. Whatever happened to you while under HYDRA's control, I won't blame you. I won't look down on you. I won't ever think of you as anything but my best friend Bucky."

"I'm dangerous."

"So are we." Diana shot back. She made a few finger symbols and let her golden magic crackle forth, "HYDRA thought I wasn't a threat."

"They were wrong." Bucky said.

"We're all dangerous people when we want to be." Steve agreed, "We just focus our powers on the greater good."

Diana cringed, "Don't use that phrase. I don't like that phrase. I'm pretty sure HYDRA used that phrase."

"The common good?" Steve amended.

"That's a little better."

Bucky kept his gaze on the water below, "I don't know what to do." He admitted.

"We're here to help you, Buck. Whatever you need, we'll do everything we can to help you." Steve reached up and put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Even if it's letting me go?" The Soldier asked in a very quiet voice.

Steve sucked in a breath and pain flashed across his face, "If I have to, I would… but I don't know if I can."

"Do you want us to leave?" Diana asked gently.

Bucky's hands gripped the railing hard again, adding another dent into the metal with his left hand, "I don't know. I just - I know I need to go away, disappear. HYDRA will always be hunting me."

"Preaching to the choir, stupid-face."

"Why do you keep calling me that?" He asked her, his blue gaze penetrating.

"What? Uh..." Diana's eyebrows went up, and her ears started to turn red, "Well, I - You have a stupid face, that's why!" He continued to stare as Steve behind him was trying to hold in laughter, and she full on blushed, "Seriously? Come on, guys!"

Bucky looked a little smug, "Your face says otherwise, doll." He stopped in confusion, "I don't know why I said that."

"I do." Steve was grinning ear to ear, "Come on, Buck. It's like the more you talk to us, the more you remember, even if it's automatic stuff like saying 'doll' or calling me a 'punk' or an 'idiot'. Come back with us."

Bucky stared out at the water, considering. They spent a silent moment before he spoke, "Your friend can come out of hiding. I've known he was there since Steve walked up."

Both Diana and Steve blinked and Matt slowly emerged from where he'd hidden himself. Bucky had turned from the water to watch the newcomer with keen, sharp eyes. Matt was playing up the blind factor, using his cane as he walked forward.

"You're blind." The Soldier frowned.

Matt came to a stop in front of them and folded his hands across his cane, "Really? I hadn't noticed."

"Then how can you fight the way you do?" Bucky asked.

The lawyer's eyebrows went up, "Fight?"

"I saw you fighting some men. I helped you."

Matt tried to laugh it off, "That's rid-"

"You did." Bucky insisted. His gaze drifted over Matt's stance and posture, "It's the same stance and posture."

The Devil of Hell's Kitchen sighed, "Please don't say anything."

"I think your secret's safe with us, Mr. Murdock." Steve told Matt.

"Murdock…" Bucky looked deep in thought, "I know that name. Why do I know that name?"

"You met my grandfather during World War II." Matt offered, "He was also another subject of Zola's experimentations."

The Soldier's jaw set harshly, and he growled, "Zola…"

Diana put a hand on Bucky's metal arm, "He's dead, Buck. Died and then got blown up. So, double dead."

The Soldier glanced down at her hand and then up at her, "You're sure?"

"Saw the rubble with my own eyes. So did Steve." She answered.

Bucky gave a small nod and looked back out at the water, "I need to travel." He told them, "I keep seeing places. People. I need to know what they mean."

"Travel's not a problem, Buck." Steve told him, "Tony's got jets. Diana's got portals. I think we have all our bases covered." The Captain looked so hopeful.

The Soldier's eyes darted between Steve and Diana, "It's your choice, Bucky." She told him, "We'll never make you do anything."

After a long moment, Bucky finally replied, "I'll stay."

Diana couldn't help the smile that bloomed on her face, and Steve's expression echoed her own.

"I hate to ruin the moment," Matt spoke solemnly, "but the Winter Soldier is also wanted by the government for the crimes committed against the American people."

Bucky grimaced, "On second thought..."

"Don't you dare!" Diana grabbed his metal hand, "Don't even think about it."

"He'll be prosecuted as soon as he's seen by the public." The lawyer continued before he squared his shoulders, "And it's a good thing you have lawyer in your midst who's willing to take your case."

Steve and Diana stared at Matt, practically gaping, "You'd do that? Represent Bucky?" The Captain asked.

"My partner and I are freelance public defenders right now, but if I can do some good and help the world's longest captive POW, I'll do it in a heartbeat." He paused, "Foggy and I may need some help with the documents and videos that aren't in English."

"Nat can help with those. Or JARVIS." Diana told Matt.

The lawyer nodded, "Well, I guess I better head home and start gathering the info for my new case. And notify Foggy. He's gonna go insane." Matt smiled a little.

"Thank you." The Soldier told the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.

"It's a privilege and an honor to help you, Sergeant Barnes." Matt held out his hand and, after a moment's hesitation, Bucky took it.

"Let's go home." Diana slipped on her Sling ring, "Then we'll go to the Tower and let Tony know. He wants to help you too." She told Bucky as she opened a portal to her apartment.

The Soldier gave a short nod and examined the portal, "Is it safe?"

"I've been through it many times and nothing bad's ever happened." Steve told his friend.

Bucky gave a nod and looked to Diana. She stepped through and turned to look at the people who were the most important to her. Bucky took one last distrustful look at the sparking gold energy before stepping through. Steve and Matt followed behind.

The lawyer shook his head a little to clear his senses before he spoke, "I'll contact you soon. Again, it was an honor to meet you, Captain Rogers. Sergeant Barnes." Matt shook each of their hands.

"Get some sleep too, Matt. I'm sure Foggy would tell you the same."

The lawyer quirked a smile, "I know. I know. I'll talk to you later." He gave a wave from the door before leaving.

"And I think we should all get some sleep before heading to the Tower." Diana told the two super soldiers, "I don't know about you, but I'm totally worn out."

"I could use a bit of sleep." Steve agreed.

"I haven't slept since HYDRA took me out of cryo." Bucky informed them softly.

"Then you get the bed." Diana declared, "Steve - couch. It's just long enough to fit you. I'll take the floor."

"We don't want to inconvenience you." Steve said, ever the gentleman.

"I've slept on floors way worse than this at Kamar Taj. The carpet's soft and fluffy. I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"One hundred percent."

"Alright." Came the reluctant reply.

They bid each other goodnight and settled down for a few hours rest.

*FMttM*

It was late afternoon when Diana woke up. Someone had put a blanket on her while she slept and she stretched to get the kinks out of her neck. Her bedroom door was ajar and she could hear soft talking coming from within.

Diana made her way to the kitchen and started preparing breakfast. She wasn't sure what HYDRA had been feeding Bucky, so she began to make a lot of toast - an entire loaf - and a huge pan of eggs - all two dozen of them.

She was just about finished when Steve walked in with Bucky just behind him. Both looked quite a bit cleaner than they had the previous night, "You boys clean up nice." She commented.

Bucky looked down at the floor as Steve replied, "Nothing a shower can't fix."

"I made some breakfast. It's just something mild and you'll probably be hungry again in two hours, but I didn't want to make anything too rich." She poked around her fridge for a minute, "I thought I had some… there." She pulled out a small carton of blueberries and set it on the table, "Appetizers while the eggs finish."

The two super soldiers sat at her table and Steve ate a few blueberries. Bucky took one berry and held it up with a frown, pinching it a little in his fingers. Then cautiously he popped it on his mouth. Diana watched out of the corner of her eye as Bucky grabbed a handful of blueberries and started eating them one by one, savoring the taste.

"Leave some for me, Buck!" Steve said, although he looked amused.

It didn't take long for the eggs to finish and she piled all two dozen of them on a large plate. She brought that and the toast over to the table, grabbed butter, peanut butter, and strawberry, blackberry, and grape jam/jelly from the fridge. She also put orange juice and milk on the table.

Making one last sweep of the food, Diana plopped herself down between the two super soldiers, "Bon Appetit." She told them and reached for the toast.

The three of them to devoured the breakfast (although it was mid-afternoon), and Steve started taking the plates from the table and putting them in the sink.

Diana stood to see what the Captain was doing, "You don't have to wash my dishes, Steve." She told him as he put the stopper in the other side of the sink and started filling it with hot water.

"You made the meal, I'm gonna clean up." He declared as he squirted some dish soap into the filling sink.

Diana looked to Bucky for help, but he just shrugged nonchalantly. She scowled at him, "You're no help. Okay. Do the dishes. Thanks."

"We should head to Tony's when I'm done." Steve said, "The Tower's equipped for everything we might need. What do you think, Buck?"

"I don't… I don't really know what you're talking about," The Soldier said.

Diana sat down next to Bucky, "Sorry. We should explain. Tony Stark is one of the smartest, richest men in the world. You knew his father, Howard, for a while. Tony owns the Avengers Tower in the middle of Manhattan. It's like our base of operations that has all the high tech gadgets a superhero could ask for."

"Tony takes some getting used to," Steve added, "but once you get past all of his sarcasm, there's a good man buried in there… deep, deep down in there."

"He might even know of someone who can help with the Winter Soldier programming." Her expression darkened, "I'd rather not have someone find that red book and start the ten word reset."

"There's a book?" Steve looked alarmed, "We have to find it. That's our priority! If it falls into the wrong hands, and they find Bucky -"

"I'll go back to being the Winter Soldier." Bucky glared at his metal hand.

"Well, then, we'd better get Tony searching for it." Diana concluded. If Zemo could find the HYDRA dude, Tony should have no problem.

When Steve finished washing all the dishes and put each one carefully on the drying rack, Diana created a portal to Avengers Tower.

*FMttM*

The portal opened into one of the living rooms and Diana swiped it closed, "Welcome back to Avengers Tower, Miss Larson, Captain Rogers, and guest." Bucky immediately went tense at the disembodied voice.

Diana touched Bucky's arm as she said, "Good afternoon, JARVIS. This is Sergeant James Barnes, or Bucky." She turned to the Soldier, who had marginally relaxed his stance thanks to her touch and her friendly tone of voice, "JARVIS is Tony's Artificial Intelligence butler. He's really just a voice who can see and hear everything, and do practically anything."

"You are too kind, Miss Larson." The British voice replied, "I apologize for startling you, Sergeant Barnes. It's rare for a guest to come to the Tower who is not aware of my presence. I will alert Mr. Stark that you have arrived."

"Come on. Let's make ourselves at home until Tony gets here," she told the two super soldiers, "I'm sure there's probably food in the kitchenette over there." Diana motioned to the other side of the room away from the windows where there was a refrigerator, stove and oven, and microwave.

"Buck, you still hungry?" Steve asked as he headed toward the fridge. The Soldier was standing as still as possible, his eyes darting about the room, taking everything in.

"Hey," Diana brushed his knuckles with her fingers and he startled, "you okay?"

The Soldier's eyes darted to her and then to Steve, "I don't… I shouldn't be here."

Ding! The elevator opened and Tony stepped out with several grease stains on his face and Iron Maiden rock band t-shirt, "Capsicle! Glinda!" He grinned. Then he saw Bucky, and his gaze sharpened, "Winter Soldier."

Bucky cringed and looked away, giving Tony the opportunity to approach and grab his metal arm. The Soldier didn't take kindly to being man-handled and ripped his arm away, practically throwing Tony back a few feet onto his backside. Bucky stared at the fallen billionaire in horror, "I- I'm sorry. I didn't…" He held the metal arm tightly and muttered something in Russian.

"That arm has some strength." Tony marvelled as he stood and ran a hand through his dark hair, "I'd love to take a look at it sometime."

Bucky turned his left side away from the over enthusiastic billionaire engineering genius. Steve returned to his two best friends, "Not right now, Tony."

"Okay, so if you're not here to have me look at that magnificent piece of metalwork and circuitry - even though it's outdated HYDRA tech, but still - anyway, what do you need?"

"A safe haven." Diana told him, "The government is currently hunting the Winter Soldier, but if they tried to get to him now when he only has a few of his memories intact, they might end up activating the Winter Soldier and then… dead." Bucky grimaced because he knew that it was true.

"Well, I can get some of my lawyers to start looking at his case -"

"Don't worry about that. We already have two defense lawyers on the case," Diana told Tony, "although I'm sure they'd be glad to get input from your attorneys."

"Who? I have the best lawyers in the world! Who would be better than them?" The billionaire asked, confused and a bit put out.

"They're two defense attorneys that Steve and I trust."

"Names, Hermione. I need their names so I can hire them. I mean, if they're as good as you're implying-"

"No. I'm not throwing them to the sharks. They'd get eaten alive."

"I'm sure my lawyers would welcome some new blood."

"I was talking about your lawyers."

Tony's eyes went wide as his eyebrows wrinkled his forehead when they raised high, "Well, those guys must be something special. As soon as I find out who they are, I'm hiring them as the official Avengers lawyers."

"If they take the job in the first place." Diana said dryly.

"Who wouldn't want to work for me?"

"You must really like hearing the sound of your own voice." Bucky spoke quietly and all eyes turned to him.

There was a moment and then Tony started to laugh, "You know what, Manchurian Candidate, you're alright!"

Steve gave an exasperated sigh, "Tony, we just need time to travel and help Bucky get his memories back. Diana was also talking about a red book that has all of the Winter Soldier passcodes and phrases. We need to find that and get rid of it as soon as possible."

"Right. I can help with that. Got any starting points?" Tony looked to Diana.

"I don't remember much. I know it's here in the States with some Russian HYDRA dude who was part of the Winter Soldier program in the '90s." She answered.

The billionaire's expression darkened, "Was this guy the one who ordered the hit on my parents?"

Bucky sucked in a breath and took a step away from Tony as Diana answered, "Yes, I'm pretty sure he was."

Tony's jaw twitched as he clenched his teeth, "I'll look into it." He saw Bucky's stance and haunted eyes and forced himself to relax a little, "It wasn't your choice, Buck-o." He made a face of disgust, "Never calling you that again. Anyway, Barnes, you were given orders, and you had no choice but to obey. Few years ago, some terrorists kidnapped me and tried to get me to make them a missile that could destroy cities and lives. They didn't have the brainwashing tech HYDRA had, but there was waterboarding."

Tony grimaced and glanced at Steve and Diana to gauge their reactions. Steve looked horrified and Diana just felt sad for her friend. Stark had a mildly ashamed expression on his face as he took a deep breath, "I told them I'd do it just to make them stop. That's something I haven't even told Pepper, by the way. I don't want her to know."

The son of Howard Stark looked straight at Bucky, "I don't blame you for giving in, especially with that machine they used to mess up your brain. There's no way anyone could've resisted that kind of constant torture, and you held out for ages." Tony smirked, "Even insulted and cussed at them magnificently. So don't beat yourself up about it. The blame lies with HYDRA."

Bucky looked like a deer in the headlights. Steve looked like he was about to burst into tears. Diana could only smile. Maybe there wouldn't be a Civil War in the future… She could only hope so.

"Alright, enough chick flick moments. I'm going back to my work. JARVIS is already searching through files on Russian immigrants who were in the States in the '90s. I'm sure something'll pop up soon. Make yourselves at home. Although considering this is the floor I designed for our resident sorceress, I doubt that'll be a problem." He gave a wave and headed back to the elevator, "By the way," he called from the elevator, "JARVIS can call a jet whenever you need it. Just let him know."

"Thanks Tony." Steve said, his voice a little rough with emotion, "Thanks for everything."

"No problem, Cap." Stark saluted as the elevator doors closed in front of him.

*FMttM*

Diana spent the rest of the day helping to get Steve and Bucky settled into rooms on Steve's floor, which was right above hers. It was late afternoon when she dropped by the Sanctum.

"Diana, it's been a long time." Master Daniel greeted her.

"Master." Diana bowed, "I'm sorry I haven't been around in a while. There've been several incidents with people important to me over past few weeks."

"Yes, the fall of the SHIELD Agency and the reemergence of HYDRA." Master Daniel nodded, "I understand."

"I'm actually here with a request." She paused, "The Winter Soldier - Bucky Barnes - wants to get his memories back and get rid of HYDRA's brainwashing. Since we were able to help Doctor Selvig with his brainwashing, I was hoping we'd be able to do the same for Bucky."

The Master Sorcerer looked thoughtful, "It has not been done before as the scientific workings of the mind - chemical and electrical - cannot usually be affected by magic. There are of course spells which can alter the mind, but those are unnatural, much like the Mind Stone remnant in Doctor Selvig was unnatural."

"Do you think the Ancient One could help?"

"Perhaps. Mind magic is not my area of expertise; you would have to ask Master Hamir. You could also try to extract his astral form from his body. There are tomes that say that a reset of a spirit causes a reset of the body upon reentry, much like astral meditation leaves one reenergized despite not having any true sleep."

"Oh, okay, uh, how do I do that?" She asked.

"Come. I will teach you."

*FMttM*

It had been four days since Diana had started staying the night at Avengers Tower. The three of them had gone back to Brooklyn to see if some of the familiar sights could jog Bucky's memory.

Then, Diana woke in the middle of the night with a terrible feeling, "JARVIS?" She asked groggily.

"Miss Larson, I'm glad you're awake. Captain Rogers is trying to calm Sergeant Barnes, but the situation is escalating."

"What happened?" She was immediately more awake.

"I believe Sergeant Barnes had a night terror. Captain Rogers woke him, but now, I believe the Sergeant is trapped in a waking nightmare and does not recognize the Captain."

Diana was out of her room in a few seconds and heading toward Steve's floor. When she got out of the elevator, she could see Steve in the living room and Bucky was crouching in the shadows near the kitchen, a knife in his flesh hand and blood on the knuckles of his metal hand.

"Steve?" She called out.

"Diana, don't come any closer." There was dried blood around Steve's nose and mouth, "Buck's stuck in a waking nightmare. I've been trying to wake him up."

"Do you want me to try getting through to him? Maybe a non-male voice will snap him out of it." She suggested, "I mean, almost all of HYDRA is composed of men. A woman's voice would be pretty different."

"Okay."

"And just in case…" She touched the back of Steve's hand and flicked her wrists, activating her bracelets. Then she stepped forward, "Bucky?" His cold blue eyes turned their attention to her, "Bucky, it's Diana. If you can hear me, just know that you're stuck in a waking dream." The Soldier flipped the knife, but didn't move. Diana spoke again, "Wherever you think you are, I want you to know you're in a safe place. You have no mission. No one here will hurt you."

The Soldier said something in Russian. His eyes narrowed to slits and he flipped the knife again. Diana looked to Steve to see if he knew what Bucky was saying, but the Captain still had worry and confusion in his expression.

Her attention turned back to the Soldier, "Bucky, please, we're your friends. Please remember us." The Soldier continued to stare at her, "Listen to my voice. Find your way back to me. To us. You've been gone for so long and we've missed you so much. Please, please come back to us."

"I don't think it's working, Diana." Steve told her sadly.

"Shut up, Steve." She snapped at him. She was tired and HYDRA was haunting Bucky. Diana turned her attention back to the Soldier and pursed her lips. If placating with the Soldier didn't work, then maybe a more verbally aggressive approach would work. Her mind raced with topics she could use, "Fine. You go all Assassin's Creed on us, I'll go all Harry Potter on you." She summoned her a little of her magic to her fingers. It crackled in her hand, "Come on, you stupid-face! You want a fight? Come and get it!"

Suddenly, the Soldier gasped in a breath and the knife clattered to the floor. Bucky fell to his hands and knees, heaving. He blinked rapidly, He looked up, "Diana? Steve? What… What happened?"

Steve sighed in relief, "You had a night terror, Buck."

"Did I hurt anyone?" Bucky whispered as he hauled himself up.

Diana let her magic dissipate with a smile, "You punched Steve in his perfect face."

"And you threatened the Winter Soldier in your kitten pajamas." Steve shot back.

Suddenly Diana felt very self conscious as both men stared at the kittens playing with yarn on her pajama pants for a moment. Then she realized how ridiculous that would've looked to anyone not in the know and burst out laughing, "Yeah, I guess it would've been more threatening if I was wearing anything else." Steve chuckled and Bucky actually cracked a small smile

As the humor of the situation died down, Bucky yawned, "Looks like someone needs a bit more sleep." Diana felt light after laughing with two of the most important men in her life.

"We should all get more sleep." Steve agreed, "I think we'll start planning a trip to Europe in the morning. Maybe follow the 107th's path and then the Commandos' path."

"Sure, that sounds good. What do you think Buck?" He shrugged and averted his eyes. Diana took a step closer to him and touched his flesh hand, "Hey, you have a right to make a choice. We won't make the plans without you. You're gonna be our compass."

"I…" His eyes looked pained, "I remember mountains. It was cold. I shot someone."

"Okay, hey JARVIS, look in the de-classified WWII 107th Infantry and Howling Commando files for mission reports, and the HYDRA dumped files for a Winter Soldier kill in the mountains. Give us the information in the morning."

"Of course, Miss."

"Thanks, JAR." Her attention turned back to the two super soldiers, "I'll walk you guys to your rooms."

The door to Steve's room came first and he bid his two friends goodnight. However, when they got to Bucky's door, he stopped.

"Good night, Bucky. I hope you sleep better." Diana told him.

He stared at the door, "Stay."

Diana froze, "What?"

He turned to look at her, "Please stay. I - I don't want to be alone." Bucky reached out and clasped her hand in his flesh one, "You stopped that nightmare. Please stay."

She flushed a bit, "I -" His blue eyes were desperately begging her, a plea for her help. Diana sighed tiredly and nodded, "Okay. I'll stay."

"Thank you."

*FMttM*

Diana woke the next morning to the smell of bacon. She stretched on the bed; she'd fallen asleep on top of all the covers.

"Miss Larson, the information you requested last night is ready for your viewing at your convenience." JARVIS told her.

"Thanks JAR. I'll look at it later with Steve and Bucky."

She then padded her way to the kitchenette and saw Steve at the stove frying some bacon.

"Hey, Di. You're up."

"Hey. You sleep okay?" She sat down on one of the stools at the island in kitchen.

The Captain paused, "Yeah, I slept fine. You?"

"Pretty good. Where's Bucky?" Why was this conversation so awkward sounding? She knew that Steve knew she'd stayed in Bucky's room the rest of the night, but it's not like anything happened.

Steve cleared his throat, "I don't know. He must be in one of the other rooms."

"Oh... So, you need any help with the food?"

Steve shook his head, "I'm almost done with the bacon. The rest is just… toast. Like you made us."

"I hope there's more."

"Tony went all out. He knows my metabolism, and so doubled it up for me and Bucky. It got here earlier today, so I decided to make breakfast for us the old fashioned way." Steve put the final slice of bacon onto a place and covered it with another plate. He then took a piece of bread, which he'd buttered on both sides and put it in the pan.

"Oh! That's the best way to make toast! Sometimes I think toasters are full of crap. They either make warm bread or burnt toast."

"I noticed." The Captain quirked a smile, "At least I know how to do this."

"Hey." Came a soft voice from behind them.

Diana swivelled in the stool and Steve turned away from the bread he'd just flipped. Bucky had cut his hair so it was all the same length, and he'd shaved a little so that his facial hair was more scruff than beard. Diana stared at Bucky and realized he looked more like he had in the third Captain America movie.

"Hey, Buck. Food's almost ready." Steve told him, "I just have a lot of bread to fry up."

The Soldier shifted, "Remembered more from… before." He made his way toward them and took a seat on one of the stools next to Diana.

"Oh yeah?" Steve asked, "What'd you remember?"

"You getting your face punched in by a guy back home." Bucky replied, "I clocked him good and saved your punk ass."

Steve couldn't help but smile as he continued to make the toast, "That happened more times than I can count. You always had my back, Buck."

"Yeah." The Soldier paused and glanced toward his oldest friend, "I'd like to be able to write these memories down, though."

"We could get you a notebook - or several notebooks." Steve offered.

"That would be quite simple." JARVIS spoke and Bucky went tense, "Apologies, Sergeant Barnes, for startling you."

The Soldier let out a deep breath, "It'll take some getting used to. I would like those notebooks."

"I shall order a dozen for you then, Sergeant."

"Thank you." Bucky replied.


	19. Remember Who You Are

**Since it's Bucky's birthday today, I decided I should post a chapter. So, enjoy and review!**

 ***FMttM***

"So, where do you want to go?" Steve asked Bucky. The three of them sat at the island in the Captain's kitchen about an hour after they'd finished breakfast. A map of the United States and one of Europe had been spread out on the table.

Bucky looked over the maps. Diana had retrieved a Starkpad from her workroom and was going through the files JARVIS had compiled.

"Well, the 107th spent most of their time in Italy fighting the Wehrmacht and HYDRA, pushing north to Austria. Until Azzano." She pointed to Umbria, Italy. Her finger then trailed to each location as she named it, "Then Austria. France. Belgium. The now Czech Republic. England. Denmark. Back to France in time for D-Day. And finally Austria. That's where your WWII file ends."

"I think... " The Soldier scanned over the maps again, "we should follow the route I took. To Italy."

"Alright." Steve nodded and tilted his head back, "JARVIS, can you have a jet ready to fly us to Italy?"

"Right away, Captain." The AI acknowledged.

Travelling to Italy on Tony's private jet was much different than flying coach on a normal airline. For one, they actually had room, and two the food was actually pretty good.

During their week in Italy, Bucky remembered a few of the battles and had a few violent nightmares which made him wake up crying or screaming. He told Steve more of his memories and nightmares than Diana; she knew he wanted to spare her the pain and grief these terrible memories would involve.

However, one night, she woke up to hear Steve and Bucky talking, so she feigned sleep to listen to the memory Bucky had recovered.

He had dreamt about how he and a squad mate were hiding in their foxholes in the middle of the forest at night, taking shifts to sleep in the mud. He'd just finished his watch and had woken his squadmate to take watch. It had been quiet all night… too quiet.

Michael. That was the young man's name. He was nineteen and from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Talkative kid. Liked to sing. Had a sweetheart back home that he was going to marry when he got back.

He took watch. Bucky was just settling down and his eyes were drooping closed when Michael had peeked over the side of the foxhole. BAM! Bucky was wide awake in an instant just in time to see his squadmate's head fling back. Michael slid down into the hole, eyes glassy and a dark spot in the middle of his forehead. Bucky had shouted for help as a firefight burst into action. It wasn't until dawn that a medic came to take the body out of the foxhole.

She decided after listening to that story that she'd rather not hear more war stories than she needed to. She had enough horrible dreams of her own, and she was lucky they didn't come that often.

At Azzano, Bucky remembered getting captured by the Nazi Science Division - or rather, HYDRA - but everything after that was a muddled cacophony of images, pain, and feeling hungry all the time.

The three of them travelled to Austria, and Steve was able to lead them to where the SSR had set up their base and then to the destroyed HYDRA base where Steve had rescued the 107th and other men from.

Steve recounted his solo mission to Bucky, who grumbled about how much of a reckless punk idiot he was for going off on his own with no plan and no back up. However, Bucky didn't get any memories of his own back from that mission. That was probably for the best. Austria wasn't one of the best places for Bucky Barnes.

So, they headed to France, the place where Diana remembered the Howling Commandos had found her in the deep snows of midwinter. Steve was again able to lead them on their hike to the old SSR base and then to the destroyed HYDRA facility. The entire building had been blown up, and Diana definitely didn't remember that happening in the movie. Still, parts of it were intact, and so they walked around what was left of the facility.

"I got caught here." Bucky said and shuddered, "They were gonna bring me back to Zola to continue with his research progress. It's where they were taking me when you got to me." He looked over at the Captain.

"Then I'm glad I made it in time, Buck."

"Me too."

With the sun high in the sky, the three of them started heading back. About halfway to the old SSR base, Steve stopped and turned to Diana, "This is where we found you, Di. You were so pale and wearing strange clothes not fit for winter."

"It's a good thing you guys got to me before HYDRA. I don't know what would've happened if they'd captured me instead." She told them.

Bucky's expression darkened and his hands clenched into fists, "They'll have to go through me if they want to get to you."

"You've been through enough, you stupid-face." Diana rolled her eyes, "and anyway, I'm not some damsel in distress anymore. My magic could give them a run for their money."

"I know, but…" He trailed off and looked away, his jaw working as he clenched and unclenched his teeth.

"It's always good to have back up." Steve said, "The Commandos always had my back, and I always had theirs."

"I miss them." Diana said, "Dum Dum and Falsworth, Morita… All of them."

"I found their files. All of them are deceased, died back in the '90s and early to mid 2000s." Steve looked a bit sad, "Some of them worked for SHIELD for a while when it was first founded and Peggy was Director."

The three of them continued down to the old SSR base and from there back to town to start the next leg of their journey - to Belgium.

*FMttM*

Belgium was where things got complicated. The facility that the Commandos had destroyed had been rebuilt and when Steve, Bucky, and Diana got there, it was in use. Steve glared at the base through a pair of binoculars.

"Do you think we should call for backup?" Diana asked, "Tony would be here in two seconds, and Nat and Clint wouldn't be too far behind in the Quinjet."

"We just saw the HYDRA facility I took out by myself back in France. I doubt a few grunts will be challenging."

"Baron von Strucker's son or grandson or whatever might be in there. Or some Zemo relation. Or Madame HYDRA the insert number here." She suggested.

"I defeated them before. I can do it again."

"Bucky you were right. He does just want to get his face bashed in. I think we should stop him." She glanced over at him with a small smile, but his expression told her that he was firmly on Steve's side of raining destruction upon HYDRA. She sighed, "I guess I'm the only one. So hopefully the Maximoff twins won't be there because then we'll be in deep trouble."

"Why's that?" Steve glanced toward her and put the binoculars back in his pack that held all their equipment and Captain America's shield.

"Pietro has super speed." Diana explained, "Like top speeds close to or at the speed of light. Maybe faster. And his sister Wanda… she can do a lot of stuff, including but not limited to telekinesis and mental manipulation. They might be currently under the tender mercies of the modern Baron von Strucker."

"Why'd they even join HYDRA?" Steve frowned.

"I don't think they knew they were joining HYDRA." Diana told the Captain, "They just knew that Stark Industries weapons killed their family and so they want revenge on Tony."

The blond sighed, "I see." He thought for a few moments, "I think we can take it, but we stick together."

"Yeah, so don't run off without me. I may have magic, but physically I'm still just at average-ish human potential." She reminded them both.

"It's hard to remember when you fight like a lioness." Steve grinned at her, "You even have the extra strength when you want to."

"And _that_ reminds me - who wants to lend me their strength?" She asked. Instantly, Bucky held out his flesh hand silently. Diana smiled at him, "Thanks Buck." She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. Diana then took a deep breath, "Okay. Let's go kick some HYDRA butt." She gave Bucky's hand one last squeeze before letting go and flicking her wrists.

*FMttM*

Diana gasped awake in a darkened room that only had a few glowing red lights casting shadows everywhere. Her arms and legs were tied down with metal restraints.

"Steve?!" She cried out, "Bucky?!"

"There's no one here to help you, Fraulein." A man stepped out of the shadows. He had a monocle, "The Captain is currently… indisposed. However, we are ever so grateful that you've brought the Asset back under our control. It was unexpected, but one simple word and the Winter Soldier was ours once again. So, I thank you."

"You son of a bitch."

"Hmmm… yes, my mother was that. Still, after the dear Captain murdered my uncle during the War, the barony was passed to his younger brother, my father, and then to me." He leaned forward, his expression leering in the dim red light, "Do you know me, Fraulein? You seem to know so many others without the need for introductions."

Diana examined his face, recognizing him, and the fact that he had said he had a barony left two people, and this guy looked nothing like Zemo, "Von… Strucker?"

He smiled, "I see my family's reputation precedes me. Excellent. This will make it even better."

"What're you gonna do to me?"

"HYDRA has been monitoring you since you showed unnatural abilities during the Invasion in New York." Strucker replied nonchalantly, "It's come down to me to… find out how you can do what you do." He grinned wolfishly.

"What I can do has nothing to do with my DNA or blood or anything physical." She told him hastily, "No need to dissect or whatever."

"Well, that fact remains to be seen Fraulein as I cannot trust a word you say." Strucker ran a finger down her cheek, "Such a lovely face. I can see why the Asset turned against us."

"Go fuck yourself." Diana spat at him, trying to bite said finger

"Oh no, my dear, dear Fraulein. I can think of many more pleasurable things I could do to you." His eyes surveyed her body in her torn clothes, "Perhaps a cut here." He traced between her breasts, "And a crack of the ribs to see what's within. Your skills will either come from there or…" His fingers trailed up her neck and brushed some of her matted hair out of her face to tap her temple, "here. One is a simple surgery. The other… well, should we lose you before we find out where your power comes from, that would be a waste, but not a too much of a loss."

She knew she wouldn't be getting out anytime soon, so she did the only thing she could do, "Where's Steve?

"Captain America is in another room. I shall be visiting him shortly."

"And Bu-The Winter Soldier?"

Strucker smirked, "Closer than you think, but farther than you'd wish. I will return shortly and we shall begin our escapades." He left her in the room.

Diana clenched her fists. Well, their plan had gone FUBAR pretty fast. It was a little fuzzy, but they'd entered the facility and fought and killed several HYDRA grunts. Then… everything went sideways. Her head ached a bit, so she guessed that someone had hit her hard.

She closed her eyes and exited her body into the astral plane. Search for Steve and Bucky, she told herself and phased through one of the walls. Diana scouted the entire base before coming back around and realizing that Steve had been in the other direction all along - through the opposite wall she had initially phased through.

"Steve…" She found in unconscious and strapped down to a metal bed with an IV going into his arm that most likely had some kind of sedative to keep him from causing havoc. "I'm gonna figure out a way to get us out of here, even if I have to astral project myself to Timbuktu." She paused, "Better yet, Wakanda. Or maybe to someone actually helpful, like Tony. I hate to tell you I told you so, but I told you so; we should've called for backup." Suddenly, she winced, "Shit. he's come back."

Diana returned to her body just in time to feel like she'd been stabbed. She screamed.

"Oh good. You're awake." Strucker sounded so smug. Diana opened her eyes a bit and noted that the room was slightly brighter, "Can't do a bit of surgery without good light."

Her eyes trailed to the other end of the room and she sucked in a breath. Bucky stood up against a wall, his expression blank and his eyes glazed as he stared straight ahead. Diana wanted to cry; she knew he'd been reset.

"Ah, the Asset. I wanted it to watch me tear into what was important to it. Disobedience will not be tolerated." Strucker lifted a scalpel from the table, "Now, where would you like me to start?"

"Go to hell."

"No, Fraulein, I think it is you who are about to be in hell. Now, prepare yourself." He raised the scalpel.

*FMttM*

Diana's throat was raw. Her chest had been cut open and not for surgery. Just for fun. And she'd been conscious as the Baron had drunk up her screams. She'd also blacked out quite a few times only to be given shots of adrenaline to wake her up and have the 'surgery' start again. Strucker had, in fact, known that she'd learned her powers, and it had nothing to do with her physiology. He'd told her so while sewing her up after one of their sessions. He had never given her given her any pain killers or sedatives. He was helpful like that.

The Winter Soldier still stood against the wall, unresponsive unless spoken to in Russian. He had been restrained as well since he had broken through the reprogramming and tried to murder Strucker when Diana had screamed for him. It was a good thing they didn't have a memory-wiping machine in the facility - or at least Diana assumed they didn't since the Soldier hadn't been taken to it to have everything that Bucky had remembered completely erased. Furthermore, like Diana, he'd been deprived of food and sleep for… some time.

Her clothes had long ago been torn to shreds, and she was struggling to find reasons to keep going. The door slammed open and she cringed at the cool breeze that blew toward her.

"I grow bored of this game." Strucker told her, "I have much more important things to do, and while seeing you writhe beneath my knife has been pleasurable, I must say to you aufiderzein." He looked to the Winter Soldier. "Солдат, у меня есть' миссия для вас." (Soldier, I have a mission for you.)

"Я готов ответить." The Soldier straightened, coming to attention. (Ready to answer.)

"Солдат, убей девушку." Strucker sent one last smile at her and left. (Soldier, kill the girl.)

The Soldier faced his target and for the first time Diana actually felt afraid of him, "Bucky, wake up. Fight the words. I know you can! Fight it, please!" The Soldier's left arm came up, "Please! Bucky! Wake up! Wake up you stupid-face!"

The Soldier paused with his cool fingers just barely brushing her neck. He stared at her for a moment before his expression hardened and he squeezed.

She couldn't move her arms to make any motions to get his hand away from her neck, although it would've been futile anyway. Spots started to appear in her vision as she gasped for air.

What could she do? What should she do? What - The reset. She'd specifically asked Master Daniel for a way to undo what HYDRA had done to Bucky, and while it was only a temporary fix, forced astral projection should bring the Sergeant back to how he'd been before the HYDRA reset.

Diana closed her eyes and focused as best she could on the magic she'd learned from Master Daniel. It didn't require any symbols, only focus. After a moment, she threw her head forward and smashed it into the Winter Soldier's face.

His grip slackened slightly, and Diana knew something had gone right for once. She sent her own spirit to the astral plane.

She saw Bucky there, looking around confusedly, "Bucky?" Diana asked cautiously, not sure whether that aspect of the astral projection worked.

He spun around, his blue eyes bright on the astral plane. Bucky sucked in a breath, "Diana." He came toward her, looking like he had during WWII and raised his left hand, a flesh hand, to touch her face, "Are we dead?" Then he recoiled as if burned as he realized they were standing next to their physical forms, his own metal fingers around Diana's neck, "Please tell me you're not…"

"No, Buck." Diana took that fleshy left hand and gave it a squeeze, "I forced you into the astral plane to try to undo HYDRA's reset. You're technically a tethered spirit right now, just like me."

The Sergeant glanced over at his physical self and tore his hand away from her, "How can you even stand to look at me, much less touch me, while I'm also doing… that?"

"Because it's not your fault."

"My hands. My mind, even if it's broken," he retorted, "my fault."

"Don't do that to yourself. I won't have it!" Diana scowled, "I've known what you were capable of since the moment I met you back in World War II! Do you think I'd've even let myself be alone with you for a moment if I thought you were, in your heart and soul, a bad person?" Bucky refused to look at her, and Diana sighed, "God, you're such a stupid-face. I am not going to and will never blame you for anything you've done while under HYDRA's control."

"I don't deserve your forgiveness."

"You may not feel like you deserve forgiveness, but I'm giving it to you nonetheless." She approached him, "Please don't shut me out. I waited for three years to get you back."

"Why are you so accepting of… the Soldier? It's a monster. I'm a monster."

"You're not a monster! Monsters don't have a conscience. You obviously do." Diana shot back, "You're a good man who's been forced to do a lot of horrible things and never given any choice in the matter. You've been treated like a slave, a thing to be used and then cast aside when you're not needed. All we need to do is get rid of the code words swimming around inside your brain, and you'll be free from HYDRA forever."

"I don't know…"

"Bucky!" She grabbed both his hands and gripped them tightly, making sure he couldn't just step away from her grasp, "You deserve so much more than the cards that have been dealt to you! If there was a magical cure for all these problems, I'd give it to you! But I don't know if that magic exists or if I could even cast it."

"Don't sell yourself short, dollface." Bucky gave a small smile, "What you can do is amazing. I'm sure if the magic exists, you could do it."

"Then promise me you won't blame yourself for that." She indicated the scene before them with their physical bodies, "Promise me you'll forgive yourself for what Strucker made you do."

The Sergeant hesitated, "It's not that easy, Di. I won't be able to forget. I hope you know that. It'll always be hanging between us."

"God dammit Bucky! I forgive you, you stupid-face! I forgive you for everything!" She practically shouted at him, "You have no excuse to wallow in self deprecation over this or anything else! I don't blame you, Steve doesn't blame you; even Tony doesn't blame you! Don't blame yourself for something you had no control over!"

With a sigh, Bucky's forehead dropped to touch hers, "Why is it that even when I'm trying to push you away? You always find me and bring me back from drowning in the Soldier."

"I'm waiting for you to remember so you have a choice." She said, her eyes closing.

"Hmmmm…" He hummed and they stayed that way for a moment of two, "I think we should return to the physical plane and get the hell out of here." Bucky paused, drawing back his head to look at her, "You're sure this'll bring me back the way I was before the mission exploded in our faces?"

"I don't know one hundred percent. I can only hope."

Bucky nodded. He reached up with his flesh left hand and let his fingers trace her cheekbone and jaw, "You deserve more than what you have too, you know."

"Thanks for saying so, but most of the time I'm pretty happy with my life now." She told him.

He smiled a little, "Alright. Send us back."

In an instant, Diana returned the both of them to their physical forms and immediately felt the pressure of Bucky's metal hand retreat. There was a metallic wrenching noise, and her arms and legs were soon free from the machine Strucker had trapped her in. Once the last of the restraints came undone, Diana collapsed into Bucky's arms.

"Easy there, dollface." He soothed, showing that he was indeed no longer under HYDRA's control, "You've been in one position for a few days. I'm gonna have to carry you."

"Okay." She replied in a raspy voice that only partially had to do with almost being choked out by the Winter Soldier.

Bucky scooped her up in his arms, "Any idea where Steve is? Or our gear?"

Diana nodded, "Steve's next door. I'll give directions to our stuff."

"We're gonna have to be really sneaky about this. I don't want to get into a fight when you're in this condition."

"My gear should still have my Sling Ring." She told Bucky, "We could portal out from there."

He nodded and they headed next door to Steve's room. The blond Captain sat on his bed, with one string to each wrist and one to each ankle chained to the wall. It looked like he'd tried to rip them out, but either the wall was more solid than it looked or the chains were stronger enough to hold a super soldier.

"Steve." Bucky called out.

The Captain looked up, his eyes a bit bleary, "Bucky?" It was like a reflection of how Steve had found the Sergeant in HYDRA's care all those years ago.

"Yeah. Let's get you out of here." The Soldier set Diana down next to Steve and gripped the chain with his metal arm, "At least this thing is good for something," and yanked. Once, twice and Steve's arms were free. Then Bucky ripped out the ankle chains.

Steve was able to get the cuffs off and looked worriedly at Diana, "Are you gonna be okay?"

"We need to get to a Sanctum. They can heal me." Diana told the Captain, "London's the closest. I'll be okay until then. I think."

"Okay. And our gear?"

"I can get us there."

The Captain nodded, "Let's move out."

Bucky picked up Diana again and they headed toward their gear using her directions. Just as they were entering one of the specialized storage rooms, an alert went out to all personnel of their escape.

Steve grabbed his shield and the packs they'd carried for the hike, "Get my Sling ring from my pack. It's our ticket out of here."

The Captain dug through the stuff she'd brought with her and found the ring, "I'm sure you could make a portal, but are you alright do use that energy?"

Diana shook her head, "I can do one." She grimaced, "I think Strucker gave me something. I feel like crap. How much time do you think we have before they get to us?" Steve wondered.

"Not long." Bucky said.

"I'm sorry I'm so useless." Diana spoke from the bed.

"Don't say that." Bucky admonished.

"We never would make it out without you." Steve told her.

The two Super Soldiers quickly finished packing and Bucky slipped the Sling ring onto her finger, "Get us out of here."

With a circular motion Diana created a portal to the London Sanctum.

*FMttM*

She was warm. It felt good. A wet cloth touched her forehead, causing her eyes to flutter open.

The Ancient One smiled softly at her, "I am so glad to see you awake."

Diana blinked, "Ancient One?"

"Your wounds were more than the sorcerers had knowledge to handle. They put you in stasis and brought you to Kamar Taj to see me."

"What about Steve and Bucky?"

"Your friends are safe." The Ancient One answered, "They have already left to continue their quest."

"Left?" Diana pushed herself up, a little hurt by their actions.

"You have been asleep for seventeen days. They stayed for seven." The Ancient One told her, "I was also able to heal a small portion of Sergeant Barnes' mind, unlocking doors to his memories. However, the HYDRA words still remain and could lock those doors again."

"They left me behind?" She asked again for confirmation.

"Oh my dear…" The Ancient One reached out a hand and smoothed Diana's hair, "You didn't see how distraught they were by your condition. Sergeant Barnes was particularly desperate after you fainted." She continued to try to soothe Diana, "You have a strong bond to both of them. I believe if you had died, neither would have ever fully recovered from the loss, especially Sergeant Barnes. He would have been affected the most by your death."

"So, why didn't they wait for me to wake up?"

"I'm sure you know them best, but they seem like men of action." The Ancient One told her, "Even I could not see them sitting still for long periods of time."

Diana looked down and played with her sheets, "You're right. Of course you're right. I just…" She shook her head, "It doesn't matter. When can I leave?"

"In the next day or so. Your captor put a rare mystical substance in your bloodstream, and it nearly killed you." The Ancient One frowned, "I had not seen that type of poison in over a century."

"Poison?" Diana's eyes widened.

"The Sombra de Sueños it was called by its creator. It comes from a negative mystical being called a Shadow Person. If caught, their essence can create a deadly, slow acting poison which can only be removed through mystical means. For sorcerers, it drains magic at first. So, once you used the last of yours to create a portal, it began taking your life force." The Ancient One explained, "The last person to use such a poison was a sorcerer who made an attempt on my life so he could become Sorcerer Supreme."

"Obviously he failed."

The Ancient One looked sad, "Yes. Peter did fail, but not without great cost. I never wish to kill, but I will if I must."

Diana looked down again and fiddled with her sheets again, wishing she'd woken to Bucky's face or even Steve's. Her stomach growled and she grimaced in embarrassment, "Could I have something to eat?"

"Of course, my dear. I'll have something sent in presently." The Ancient One stood and went to the door, "Diana, what I saw in Sergeant Barnes' mind… I see strong light and deep darkness. But most of all, I could see his memories of the Captain and of you. He may not have recovered them all, but even without his memories, his emotions are genuine and pure. His instinct to protect those he cares for is crucial to his character. That is why he decided to leave you in my hands - to protect that which he cares for the most. Keep that in mind while I retrieve a meal for you."

The door shut softly behind the Ancient One and Diana was alone. She looked down at the loose robe she was wearing and saw the silver spider web of scars from Strucker's tender ministrations. It was ugly. It was a mess. There was not a piece of flesh that hadn't been torn into in one way or another.

She was alone. There were scars on her chest and belly. Her shoulders shuddered and she broke down in tears, knowing she would never be able to look at herself the same way again without thinking of Strucker and his leers and gleaming eyes as he touched her and cut into her skin. She curled up on her side, pulling the sheet up and under her chin. She was a liability to her friends, just like she'd been a liability on that one mission during the War where she'd had to… That was really why they'd left her. She should stick to healing and not go out into the field anymore. The Avengers would need a healer, a good one, in the coming years.

*FMttM*

Diana stayed in Kamar Taj for three more days before using a portal to return to New York. It was late on a Saturday night a week later when she heard a tap, tap on her window.

"Hey Matt." She said as she opened the window to let him in. She gave him a once over to try to see where he was hurt, but to her surprise, she found nothing.

"Something's been wrong with you all week, and I can't figure out what it is." Matt took off his mask as Diana closed the window.

"It's fine, Matt. It's nothing you can fix." Diana waved it off, "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm not. I came to talk. Or to listen. Whatever you need from me." He offered and sat on her couch, "Last I knew, you were globe trotting with Steve and Barnes."

She sat down next to him, trying to be nonchalant about the entire thing, "We ran into a trap. Got captured. Bucky got reset to the Winter Soldier. I got tortured. I don't know what they did to Steve. Then I almost died."

Before she knew what was happening, Matt reached over and pull her into a hug, "I'm so sorry that happened to you." He drew back, "Are you okay?"

"I'll have scars from Von Strucker for the rest of my life." She told him, her voice catching in her throat.

"And that's what bothers you." Matt concluded shrewdly.

Diana's throat tightened, "I - I guess so. It makes me sound so vain when you put it like that. But-"

The blind lawyer took off a glove, "May I…?"

She blinked at him, realizing that tears had started to form in her eyes. "What?"

"The scars. Please?"

Her breath caught and her hand gripped her sweater, "Why? Why would you want to -"

"I have enough of my own scars to not be bothered by them at all, no matter how you got them." He kept his ungloved hand offered to her, "Please. I just want to understand and help. Let me help."

Diana trusted Matt as much as she trusted Steve or Bucky, although she'd never let them see her scars if she could help it, and so hesitantly took off her sweater and undershirt, sitting there in only her bra and jeans. Matt moved a bit closer lifted his right hand to her torso where there were several cut and puncture scars. Diana shuddered and looked away as his fingers traced over them.

Her mind flashed to Von Strucker, but while his fingers had never seen battle and were smooth and probably manicured, Matt's were callused and rough from fighting for the people of Hell's Kitchen. The difference helped her separate the two. Furthermore, unlike Von Strucker, Matt's touch never wandered anywhere inappropriate.

After a few moments, she took a glance back at Matt and his unfocused eyes blazed with rage, his mouth set in a snarl, "How dare they." His thumb grazed over one of the healed wounds, "You're so strong to have survived this violation of self." His gaze turned toward her and he removed his fingers from her skin, "Thank you for letting me do that. I understand what happened much better now. And you can put your sweater back on." His tone was a little lighter with his last comment.

Diana redressed and wrapped her arms around herself, "So…"

"I think you should come with me to morning Mass." Matt told her.

"What?"

"Father Lantom...he knows, or at least guesses at, what I do outside of being a lawyer. He might be able to help you."

"I'm not Catholic, Matty."

He shrugged, "Doesn't matter. I know he'll still listen to what you have to say."

Diana bit her lip. She hadn't been to church since she was Confirmed, and that was at a Lutheran Church. But maybe some spiritual guidance from a higher power would be nice. Diana nodded, "Okay."

Matt smiled, "Then we should both go to bed. Mass is at 7 AM. I'll call you in a few hours to remind you, okay?"

"Okay."

The two of them stood, and Matt made his way toward the window to open it. Before he went through, he turned and hugged her tightly again, "You made it through something horrible, Di. You're a survivor. Remember that. The person who did this will never touch you again if I have anything to say about it. I'm sure the Captain and Barnes feel the same."

"Yeah." Diana nodded into her friend's shoulder, "Thanks, Matty."

"See you in a few hours." He climbed through the open window.

"Only in your world on fire." She replied.

Matt sent her a smile, "Very true." Then he climbed the rest of the rest of the fire escape to his apartment.

*FMttM*

Father Lantom stood in the pulpit looking out at his congregation, "These past few years have been very difficult for the people of New York and the United States. Not only are we involved in a brutal war abroad, but we have found out that we have enemies who would see us destroyed coming from the stars themselves and from within our own government. The people of Hell's Kitchen have faced these adversaries and overcome them, rebuilding to be stronger. However, one thing still lingers. One thing festers in the back of our minds. One thing becomes our own personal demon which taunts us from the shadows.

"Fear. We are fearful creatures. We fear things that are different from ourselves. We fear the future. We fear the unknown. Some of us fear death. Some fear God. But," the Father paused as his voice echoed throughout the sanctuary, "but it is God who can soothe our fears. Life is full of adversity - challenges that we must overcome. It is God who is the guiding hand for all, the one who tests us, tests our faith, tests our love. God will wipe away all fear from our hearts for he has given us the ultimate gift. He has given us eternal life through his son, Jesus Christ. Our souls are eternal, and so, through God we should fear no earthly or unearthly things for he is with us. His rod and staff comfort us. Protect us.

"The destruction from the Incident, the recent coup within one of our government agencies has left many floundering in fear. However, we have heroes to look up to. I don't simply speak of the Avengers, who defended our city during the Incident and did their best to contain the destruction of the opposing forces. I speak of the men and women in our military forces. I speak of the men and women of the police, fire, and rescue departments. Without their light, many would have succumbed to the darkness of fear and turned away from all that is good in the world.

"Scripture tells us in Matthew 10:28 that our Lord, who experienced great fear in the Garden of Gethsemane, teaches us, 'Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, fear him rather who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.' I say to you that we should not be afraid to fear. For our Lord is with us always and will grip our souls tight, raising them from perdition. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, knows how much we fear and tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.' With faith in the Lord, fear, earthly fears, are obsolete for He will give us strength through his Grace and dissolve our fears when we trust in Him.

"And so, when we feel fear, we must turn to our faith and take solace in the Lord and his love for us. We know he is watching over us. We know that he will protect us if we cannot protect and defend ourselves. We have nothing to fear, for with God, we can overcome all things."

*FMttM*

After Mass, Matt linked his arm with hers and made his way to the priest, "Father Lantom."

"Matthew, it's good to see you at Mass. I'm very glad you came." The Father smiled.

The blind lawyer returned the smile, "This is Diana Larson. She's a good friend of mine and has been helping me wherever she can when Foggy can't."

The priest turned his light blue gaze to her, warm smile still on his face. He held out his hand, "I'm very glad you came, Miss Larson. Matthew has told me a little about you, and I thank you for everything you've done for him and for the world."

Diana took the priest's hand, "I'm just helping out where I can and trying to do the right thing."

"I'm glad Matthew has a friend like you." Father Lantom told her, "He has so few people to confide in."

She gave a small smile toward Matt, "Yeah, Matt's like my unruly brother, getting into trouble all the time. He actually reminds me of a friend of mine sometimes, never backing down when someone's in trouble."

"Yes, Matthew does have a very good heart." The priest nodded in agreement as the subject of their conversation shifted awkwardly, "But I sense that that's not why he brought you here." Father Lantom stared sadly into her eyes, "You seem troubled. I offer you someone to talk to, an ear, if you will. I will not judge you, and anything you tell me will be between us."

"I'm not Catholic. I've never been to a Confession before."

The Father simply smiled, "I'm sure that Matthew has told you that it's not necessary for someone to be of the same denomination to seek help from the clergy."

"No, you're right. I just… It's gonna be hard to tell and hard to hear."

"Nothing worthwhile is ever easy, especially when it comes to healing fresh wounds. However keeping what's troubling you to yourself will only allow them fester, and they will influence you and your decisions for the rest of your life."

"Maybe I should bring Bucky here." Diana mumbled.

"Not a bad idea." Matt spoke for the first time in a while, "After what he's been through, he deserves to have someone listen to him."

"I don't even know if he's religious. I know Steve was and probably is Irish Catholic, although I doubt he's been able to go to church with his busy schedule. I don't know about Bucky."

"Well, I'm not only a priest, but also an elder who will listen and give support in any way you need."

"Thank you Father. I'll pass that on to Steve and Bucky."

"I also mean for you." The priest smiled kindly.

Matt gave her a nudge, "Please try. I know he can help." He murmured.

"Do you have somewhere the three of us could… have a private meeting?" Diana asked reluctantly.

"My rectory is always open to those who seek help and solace." Father Lantom made a motion with his hand, "Follow me."

*FMttM*

Father Lantom sat at his desk as Matt turned to Diana at the door, "If you don't want me to be here, I can make my own way home."

She pursed her lips. Matt had never judged anything that she'd done in her past and had always known when there was something wrong - stupid heightened senses. Her expression turned a bit amused, "You'd probably end up hearing about it later anyway. Might as well get the gruesome details out of the way now."

"Are you sure? I could call Steve and -"

"No. I don't want Steve to know yet. I need… time."

Matt nodded, "And you want me to stay, and not just out of -"

"Matty, you're one of my best friends. You're family, and one of the few people who knows where I come from. I just don't want you to think less of me when all this is over."

The blind lawyer gripped her arm, "I'd never think less of you. I don't even have to hear the story to know something horrible happened abroad. I just want to know who I need to pummel." A smile flitted across his face.

Diana returned with a small smiled of her own, "Okay."

They both took their seats in front of Father Lantom as he nodded, "It's always good to have a support system. Friends, family. I'm glad you've chosen to confide in me."

"Well, I know you're a good man who's good at keeping secrets. My life, my past is more classified than… well… probably anything in United States history that I know of. I know I can trust you because I know the lengths you've gone through to keep Matt's secret."

"You honor me with your trust, and I will do my best not to break it."

"Thank you, Father."

"Now, whenever you're ready to begin, I will listen."

Diana nodded and clasped and unclasped her hands. Where to start? She glanced over at Matt. His head was tilted slightly, and she wondered if he was listening for anyone who might intrude on or overhear their conversation. She smiled; he was trying to keep the people he cared about safe.

"Okay." She began, "My name is Diana Larson. My life's been extremely complicated for the past - oh - six-ish years." She paused to do some calculations in her head, "Nope, a little over five. There's no record of me existing anywhere. Not on paper and not on the Internet, at least, not directly. They always used a codename." She huffed a laugh, "I'm not a spy by any means of the word. I'd be a terrible spy, but I know who to trust and who to stay away from." Diana shifted uncomfortably, "All that changed when HYDRA took over SHIELD. They had a small file on me, but didn't deem me a threat, not even worthy of their greatest Asset - the Winter Soldier.

Diana told Father Lantom about the fall of SHIELD and the fight at the Triskelion and on the helicarriers. She told him about how Matt had helped her and Steve find Bucky in Brooklyn and persuade him to come back to Tony's Avengers Tower to try and recover his memories. Then she talked a bit about the globe trotting.

She knew she was avoiding for as long as possible the true reason Matt had brought her to see the priest. Father Lantom was being very patient as she tried to explain herself, give background information, and avoid the topic of her torture. When her tale got to Belgium, she began to hesitate in her speaking.

"So… ummm… Belgium was a trap. And… and we got caught." She took a deep breath and shuddered.

"Take your time, Miss Larson. I'm sure speaking about this is extremely difficult." Father Lantom told her softly.

"Baron Von Strucker was there when I woke up. His goons had strapped me to this… thing by my wrists and ankles, spread eagle. Bucky had been reset to the Winter Soldier and would only respond to HYDRA operatives in Russian, and Steve was in the next room probably able to hear everything going on and not being able to help." Her breath hitched and Matt reached over to take her hand, giving it an encouraging squeeze.

"Then he…" A few tears leaked down her cheeks as Von Strucker's actions flashed through her mind. She didn't even register herself speaking as she told about her torture, and the poison, and more torture. "He did everything he could during those sessions, forcing the Winter Soldier to watch to teach him that disobedience led to… that. I think the only thing Von Strucker didn't do was r-rape me." She bit her lip, trying to prevent the sobbing.

Father Lantom's expression was full of compassion, "You and the Captain have saved us more than once. Perhaps God sent you to us to help with the adversity that is before us. Your strength and endurance amaze me. Many would have given up or given in under that stress and pressure. God must have a very special plan for you."

"It doesn't seem like it." Diana's voice cracked, "I just keep floundering around in the world, trying to make the best with what I know should be and what is. It might all be for nothing if..." She trailed off. Thanos was years away, and since she knew she was allowed to change things now, she would do her best to make the Avengers and Defenders strong enough so that no one died during or after the Infinity War.

"Throughout your tale and even into the violence you suffered there has been another theme I have noticed." The priest informed her, "Love."

"Love?"

"Yes." He smiled kindly, "I know that the information you gave prior to your capture in Belgium was a stalling tactic, but it did illustrate how much you love Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes. I'm certain that you survived because your love for them was stronger than Von Strucker's hate and malice."

"Love is the most powerful magic of all." Diana murmured as her heart thumped against her chest.

"You have been blessed with very good friends, Miss Larson. You've made yourself a family of your own when your blood family could not be here."

"I know. I just wish…" She paused and grimaced, her free hand rubbing over some of the scars on her stomach, "I wish I didn't have to carry these scars. They're nothing but a reminder that I failed and that I'm undeserving."

"And what makes you think that?" Father Lantom asked.

"Von Strucker carved me open like a Thanksgiving turkey, multiple times!" Diana ground her teeth, tears returning in both grief and anger, "He did it for fun. FOR FUN! How can there even be people like that in the world? Why do they enjoy doing those things? Why do they enjoy hurting others? I just don't understand how such evil can exist!"

"The evil you have seen may seem so much more prominent due to your occupation," the priest soothed, "but that doesn't mean there isn't good in the world. Yes, human beings are imperfect, flawed. We lie, we cheat, we steal, we destroy. But we are not completely unsavable for we also give and create and laugh and sing and dance… and love. The greatest of all the good in the world is love. God saw that in us and wanted to help us cultivate that trait. He sent Jesus to show us His pure love and to follow His example."

"I know." Diana replied, "I just don't understand why this had to happen to me?"

"Why was Sergeant Barnes turned into nothing more than an asset, a machine?" Father Lantom asked rhetorically, "There are some things that we may never know or understand while on this Earth. We can only work together to support those we care about and help them heal from their ordeals."

Diana nodded and let out a soft, "Yeah."

"I am sorry for what has happened to you, Diana. I wish the world were the Eden that God intended for us. You will find glimpses of that paradise within your friends, your family, and the people whom you love and who love you. That is something worth fighting for. That is something worth living for."

"Thank you for listening, Father Lantom." She told him as she glanced over at Matt. He offered her a small smile.

"I am here to lend an ear, a hand, or a voice whenever you need it." He stood at the same time as Diana and Matt, "And Matthew, I hope to see you at Mass again very soon."

"I'll try, Father." The blind lawyer replied, "Thank you for doing all of this."

"It was my pleasure. I hope the rest of your day is pleasant. God bless you." The priest motioned the sign of the cross as they left.

*FMttM*

Diana felt a little better after visiting with Father Lantom with Matt. She returned to Stark Tower to continue writing down the MCU information that would be considered history. Tony had been curious as to why she wasn't with Steve and Bucky globetrotting and trying to get the Soldier's memories back.

She'd simply showed Tony some of her scars and told him that she was taking a break from the field to focus solely on support and healing. That had made Tony frown, and he muttered something about upgrading uniforms and left for his workshop.

So, Diana continued writing in her memories in her notebooks, wondering if Bucky was doing the same with his memories in his notebooks. She cranked through _Ironman_ , and actually showed it to Tony as soon as she was done so that he could not only make addendums, but also give his opinion on the accuracy of the movie she knew and the life he'd lived. She had then moved on to the other films, working as much as she could to keep the nightmares of Von Strucker's torture at bay.

It was the beginning of June when Diana finished Phase 1. Tony came striding into her workroom, grabbed her arm, and said, "You're coming with me." He then proceeded to drag her to his floor and plopped her down on a couch.

Bruce was there, sitting in an armchair. He frowned at Tony, "You didn't force her to come up here, did you?"

"I doubt she would've come by herself if she knew that this was an intervention." Tony crossed his arms.

The doctor gave an exasperated sigh and took off his glasses to rub his eyes, "We can't just force her to talk to us."

"Well, that's why we're gonna do the talking. It's an intervention. Not a discussion."

Bruce shook his head, "I really don't see why I have to be here."

"You're a doctor." Tony said matter of factly, "So doctor."

"I'm really not that kind of doctor; I thought I already told you that."

"Your name is Doctor Bruce Banner. D-O-C-T-O-R."

"Uh, Science Bros, I'm sitting right here." Diana rolled her eyes.

Tony stopped and looked thoughtful, "Science Bros. I like that." Bruce looked even more exasperated before Tony spoke again, "No, nope. Not veering from the intervention."

"What-" Diana started.

"Nope, I'm gonna talk, and you're gonna listen. This is how intervention thingies work." Tony pointed at her before dropping his hand and scrutinizing her, "So, I've noticed that you've been working hard on the - what did you call them?"

"MCU Histories." Diana provided.

"Right. MCU Histories. You've actually almost caught up to the current time with how you've been cranking out the scripts." Tony frowned then, "Staying up later than normal or falling asleep at your desk. On those nights, JARVIS has noticed that you've been having more nightmares than usual."

"And of course he told you."

"You're practically living in my Tower, Diana." Oh, he'd used her real name… That wasn't good. "You came back from who the hell knows with spider web scars on your chest and stomach. Now, I understand torture. Went through that in Afghanistan. Maybe it wasn't near as bad as what you experienced, maybe it was, but you're moping. You have nightmares on an almost daily basis. When you sleep at all, that is. What do you want me to do?" He threw up his hands, "I can, of course, hire the best therapists out there, but a while ago you told me that I couldn't fix everything just by throwing money at it."

He paused, a worried look on his face, "I want to help you. Hell, I'm even exploring new fabrics to use for your robes with a high tensile strength that'll block bullets if your shield doesn't catch them first! Found the tensile strength, but the stuff makes the wearer almost immobile, which is never good in a fight. So I'm working on throwing money at the problem of you getting hurt, but that won't heal the scars you've already got. So, I want to know what you want me to do?"

Diana blinked. Tony Stark, genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist and all around egomaniac, didn't know how to help her and was asking her what he should do to help.

"I think…" She wrung her hands a little, "I think I need to face Von Strucker. I need him to be put to justice - no." Her expression darkened, "Jail is too good for him. I want him dead. I want him minced and cut like he cut me. I want him to die the most painful death anyone could imagine for him. And I want to see as the light fades from his eyes and tell him that I'm a survivor and that he can't hurt me anymore."

"That's a pretty dark path, Diana." Bruce told her softly, "Are you sure you want to be that vicious? Killing someone in revenge or in cold blood won't ease pain. It'll increase it. You have a conscience. I've seen the way you care about Steve and the rest of the team. I don't think any of us would want you to travel down that path and lose your compassion along with it."

Diana clenched her jaw, "I know. I already know how he dies anyway. I just wish…" She shook her head, "Von Strucker is gonna die, and he'll die not only because of his own creations, but because of us. So, there's that." Her lips twitched into a bitter smile, "I don't think I'd be able to go through with it anyway. I'm not cruel, like he is. I just needed to say it."

The doctor let out a relieved breath, "That's good. That's very good."

"But that's not the only thing that's bothering you." Tony pointed out, "I would've thought that after you healed and got better, you'd be right back out there with the Capsicle and the Manchurian Candidate. Not moping here at the Tower."

"I'm a liability in the field." Diana stated, "I have my shields. I have my whip. I have my portals. But it's not enough."

"Then go to your magic-y friends and learn something else!" Tony told her, like it was the most logical thing in the world.

"The only thing left for me to learn that I know of is -" She paused and her eyes went wide as she realized how useful that magic would be when fighting Ultron, "The Mirror Dimension."

That caught Tony's interest, "Mirror Dimension? Explain."

Diana hesitated, "Well, uh, the Mirror Dimension is basically this one, but sorcerers can use magic to manipulate everything. Think _Inception_ rules and you'll kind of get what I mean."

"Cool! You've gotta learn that!" Tony exclaimed.

"Haven't really had the time."

"Oh no, of course not. You've been moping." The billionaire rolled his eyes, "Come on, you could've dropped by the Sanctum at any time during the past couple months, and you haven't. What're you waiting for?"

Diana shifted in her seat and looked away from Tony and out one of the floor to ceiling glass windows. Her hand went to her neck where Bucky's locket usually was.

"Oh." Doctor Banner murmured softly, "I see."

"You see?" Tony's brows furrowed, "You see what? Come on, Brucie, what'd you figure out?"

Bruce gave the billionaire a look that told him to shut up before turning his attention back to Diana, "Are you worried about Steve and Sergeant Barnes?"

"They've been gone a long time. I don't... " She paused, "In my universe, Steve searched for two years before finding Bucky again. And the only reason Steve had to find him was because the Austrian government thought Bucky blew up the UN building in Vienna."

"Did he?"

"No! He just wanted to buy some plums!" She shot back, "But the authorities rammed into his apartment, guns a-blazing and shooting bullets at him and Steve who'd just barely made it before them. Then there was the legendary Black Panther. He nearly beat Bucky in hand-to-hand combat. Of course, the Panther was trying to kill Buck, while the other was just trying to get away, but I digress. I don't want Steve and Bucky to just disappear for two years!"

"Well, on the front of the Winter Soldier, I got good news and bad news." Tony told her, and she looked up at him, "The United States prosecutor's office found out that we've been helping Barnes and demanded that we hand him over to be put on trial. Well, first I told them to go shove it, but when they wanted to put all of us on trial for hiding a fugitive of the United States… well..." The billionaire stuffed his hands in his pockets, "What I'm trying to say is that there's a time limit for how long Steve and Barnes can be gone before they become fugitives of the law and will be hunted down and… shackled - for lack of a better word. So, yay! They'll have to return soon!"

"And that's the good news?" Diana arched an eyebrow at Tony.

"Well, the bad news is that the prosecutor's office also demands that when Barnes is brought in, he's without his metal arm - deemed it a highly dangerous weapon, which is true, but I don't think he'd use it. The Soldier might if triggered, but I doubt that'll happen with you and Steve in the room. So… there's that." There was a pause, "And I've actually been in contact with the Icy Duo - no, that name sucks - Super Soldier Bros… no, too long and sounds like Super Mario Bros."

"Frozen Bros?"

"Nah, that doesn't roll off the tongue."

"Barnes and Noble" Diana suggested.

A wicked grin crossed Tony's face "Yeah, that'll work. So I've been in contact with the Barnes and Noble since you left. Well, when I say 'in contact' I really mean that I've been tracking them with JARVIS. I don't think they know I'm doing that."

"Were you tracking us before?" Diana asked, her throat tightening a little. If he had, why hadn't Tony come to rescue them in Belgium?

"Didn't think I'd need to. Figured you'd call me if you needed back-up." Tony scowled, "Maybe if I had turned on the trackers, you wouldn't have ended up tortured at the hands of that HYDRA bastard."

"It's okay, Tony. What's done is done." Diana assured him, a bit relieved that Ironman hadn't left his friends to be tortured and maybe killed by HYDRA..

"Yeah, right, okay. So, anyway, when you got back, and I saw the scars from… that, I decided to activate the chip I put in everyone's phones. Rogers and Barnes were heading to Austria last I saw. Did you know that that Sam dude joined them? Took his old wings from my workshop and flew off. I didn't know until JARVIS told me bright and early the next morning."

Diana was glad that Steve and Bucky had Sam with them, but she couldn't help but be slightly jealous that they hadn't asked her to come back. She pushed that thought away and instead said, "Maybe it would be best if you called them back home." Diana told Tony, "Bucky'll need time to prepare himself if he is gonna be put on trial. And I also want Matt to meet him again now that Buck probably has more of his memories."

"Finally a name to put to those nameless lawyers you hired!" The billionaire exclaimed, "Matt… Matt who? JARVIS! Do a search of local lawyers with the first name Matt or Matthew. New grads or fresh out of an internship or maybe doing freelance work."

"Yes sir."

"You don't have to do that, JARVIS. Tony might as well know as long as he doesn't try to hire them. They want to open their own firm one day, and I don't want them to just get sucked into Stark Industries."

"Cross my heart that I won't try to hire them." Tony made an X over his heart.

Diana rolled her eyes, "His name is Matthew Murdock and his partner is Franklin Nelson. Matt's grandfather, Luke, met Steve and Bucky during World War II on a slightly more personal basis than most other soldiers. Luke was a HYDRA POW dealing with a bad case of PTSD, and talked about his time with HYDRA to Steve and Bucky to try to help with his recovery."

"You must have lot of trust in this Matthew Murdock." Tony had picked up one of his Pads since JARVIS had given him the information on Matt anyway, "Huh. He's blind." The billionaire's eyebrows went up, "A blind lawyer and his frat boy partner. You sure these are the guys you want representing your boyfriend? Because I gotta tell you, they don't look like much."

Diana flushed a little at the boyfriend comment, "First of all, don't underestimate Matt and Foggy. They've always got an ace up their sleeves. Second, Bucky's not my boyfriend."

"Uh huh." Tony gave her a skeptical look, "I've seen the doe eyes and the yearning looks. You may not be in a relationship now, but when that happens, and I bet you ten thousand dollars that it will, I'm gonna say 'I told you so.'"

"I don't yearn."

"You might not yearn, but he does in his own dark and broody way." Tony tease, "Back me up, Bruce. You've seen them."

"Actually," Bruce looked amused, "I haven't been here when Steve, Diana, and Sergeant Barnes were staying here, so I can't comment on the looks the Sergeant and Diana may or may not have been exchanging."

"You're no fun." The billionaire pouted, "J, you can at least back me up! You see all!"

"Sir, while it is within my protocols to analyze facial expressions and make assumptions on the subject's current emotional state, I think it would be prudent of me to refuse in order to protect Sergeant Barnes' and Miss Larson's privacy."

Tony threw up the hand that wasn't holding his StarkPad, "Why did I give you so much freedom?!" He shook his head before pointing a finger at Diana, "Well, I've noticed, so don't think you can get away with it."

"Duly noted."

"Okay, then, so I'll send out the call to bring Cap, bird boy, and Diana's not-boyfriend home and make sure they get every protection before the US government tries to throw your boy in a prison cell."

"I'll call Matt and see if he and Foggy could come to the Tower." Diana told Tony.

"Tell them to come A-SAP. I want to meet these esteemed lawyers before Cap and friends get back."

She sighed, "Fine. I'll ask."


	20. The Trial - Part 1

**In honor of** ** _Avengers: Endgame_** **premiering, I am posting another chapter. I made some adjustments to previous chapters to accommodate new information. However, this chapter is a little less action-packed than some others, but it's what many Bucky fans have wanted for the character. I'm most proud of Matt's opening statement-it's something I'll probably share with Sebastian if I ever meet him.**

 **Enjoy!**

 ***FMttM***

Steve, Bucky, and Sam returned from abroad as soon as Tony told them how urgent it was that they not become wanted fugitives with a shoot-to-kill possibility should things get nasty.

Diana waited for them at the door to the Quinjet platform. Sam was the first one off the jet and he gave her a smile, "Diana!" He greeted and wrapped her up in a hug, "Glad to see you're okay."

"Hey, Chocolaccino." She smiled, "How was flying abroad?"

"Eh. nothing out of the ordinary. Different landscapes, same maneuvers." Sam shrugged, "But what about you? Cap said you got hurt bad in Belgium."

Diana lifted her shirt a little to show a few of the scars that spidered around her belly, "It wasn't fun."

"Jesus. What happened?"

"Long story short, HYDRA knew we were coming and captured us. They reset Bucky and put Steve in the cell next to mine. Then they proceeded to make the Winter Soldier watch and Captain America listen as Baron Von Strucker had fun torturing me."

Sam's eyes narrowed, "You seem pretty calm about that."

"I've had a while to reflect, get a bit of counseling, and stuff like that." She told Sam.

"Well, you know that I'm always available for you to talk. I haven't dealt with that caliber of shit before, but if you ever want to tell me more about it, my door's always open." He gave a tiny smile, "Gimme your phone." She did that and Sam typed in his number, giving himself the name 'Chocolaccino.' He handed her phone back to her, "Just call me before you open one of your super cool portals to my house."

Diana nodded, "I can do that. Thanks, Sam."

He glanced back at the Quinjet, "I think Cap and Bucky might be feeling a bit guilty about leaving you behind. Or maybe a better word for it would be scared." Sam gave her a mischievous look, "And I think I'd better give my wings back to Stark. He wasn't happy when I took them from his workshop. Yelled at me on the phone."

"Well, you better get those down to Tony before he throws a hissy fit."

"Oh yeah, and go easy on those guys. I'm sure they were just trying to protect you by not calling you back to the field." Sam squeezed her shoulder, "I'm gonna head home, but you call me whenever you want."

"Thanks Chocolaccino." She smiled as he entered the Tower and disappeared from view.

Diana didn't have to wait long before Steve exited the Quinjet with Bucky on his left. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, "Well, look who decided to show up."

Bucky kept his gaze away and on the skyline while Steve stared down at his shoes. They both came to a stop in front of her, and the Captain spoke first, "I know we should've come back to get you, but things got a bit more messy and with what happened in Belgium…" He trailed off and looked at her for a moment before wrapping her up in a bear hug, "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Physically, yeah, I am. The sorcerers healed me just fine." Diana hugged Steve back, "I wish you guys had been there when I'd woken up."

"I'm sorry, Di. We didn't know how long it'd take for that to happen, and after the Ancient One unlocked some of Bucky's memories, he kept getting flashes of Siberia, and we had to check it out."

Diana went pale and looked to Bucky, "The Death Squad…?"

He gave a nod, "We made sure they couldn't come back." He replied softly.

"Good. We don't need them messing up anything." Civil War: Cancelled. Probably. Zemo was still out there, after all, but he still had his family. Ultron hadn't happened yet.

"So," Steve shuffled a little, "are we going inside?"

"Fine. I'll be opening a portal to my apartment and then going to Matt's place to get our two defense lawyers."

"Sounds like a good plan." Steve nodded, "We should get cleaned up and changed before meeting them."

"Do that. You both smell like a boys' locker room." Diana wrinkled her nose.

*FMttM*

"You're kidding."

"Nope."

"I thought we were just gonna do this without the help of THE Tony Stark."

"He might be obnoxious, but he's Steve's friend. He's also invested in helping Bucky because of what HYDRA did to his family just so he can thumb his nose at them, and then later decimate their numbers as payback for his parents' assassinations."

"So we're seriously going straight to Avengers Tower?"

"Yes, Foggy. It's the safest place for us to meet Steve and Bucky without the government trying to arrest the Winter Soldier and abuse him like HYDRA did."

"In one of your portal thingies?"

"Yup." Diana was incredibly amused by Foggy's reaction to going to the Avengers Tower and meeting more Avengers.

"So, how's it work? Do you have to say a spell or throw a magic portal creating thingy? Or what?"

"Well, first thing is I slip on a ring," She held up the Sling ring before putting it on her finger, "and then…" She held out both hands with the palms facing outwards, the two fingers on her right hand which had the Sling ring extended. Her free hand, also with two fingers extended, made a circular motion. Slowly, the sparking golden circle formed and created a portal to her floor in Avengers Tower. Diana then turned to her two friends with a smile, "So, who wants to go through first?"

"That's so cool." Foggy said in awe as he approached the portal. He put his hand through and into the Tower. He let out a gleeful, childish, and adorable squeak before practically jumping through the golden circle.

Matt had a grin on his face, "Well, on that note…" He held out a arm, which Diana took, and they stepped through together. "Damn, that's still disorienting." He shook his head a little.

"Sorry." She apologized.

"Nothing you can fix." He answered as Diana swiped the portal closed.

"Woah! This place is awesome!" Foggy gushed, "Why are you still living in that crappy apartment when you practically have a penthouse in a skyscraper?"

"I like my crappy apartment." Diana said, "And I don't want to owe Tony everything, you know. He's great in small doses, but I think only Pepper could manage him for more time than that." Then she turned her head up a bit, "Hey JAR, tell all important parties that I've brought Bucky's defense lawyers here."

"Right away, Miss Larson." JARVIS answered.

"Tony Stark's AI!" Foggy exclaimed, "I didn't know its voice was British. That's so… butler-y."

"Mr. Stark, Captain Rogers, and Sergeant Barnes will be here in a few moments." JARVIS informed them.

"Thanks, JAR. You're the best." Diana complimented the Artificial Intelligence.

"I am only doing my job, but thank you, Miss Larson."

It wasn't long before the elevator doors opened. Diana looked up eagerly and was mildly disappointed to see that it was Tony and not Steve, not Bucky. Matt nudged her, and she gave him a side glance. He'd probably sensed both her shifts in emotion.

"Don't everyone say 'hello' at once." Tony snarked before smirking as he approached them, "So, you two must be the illustrious lawyers that Hermione's trying to keep out of my hands."

Foggy was staring, gawking for a moment before saying, "Mr. Stark, sir. It's an honor to meet you!" He held out his hand.

Tony stared at the hand for half a second, and glanced at Diana, before taking it, giving it a single shake, and dropping it. He then turned to Matt, "And you're the blind one."

"I can see that." Matt deadpanned.

The billionaire grinned, "You know, just for that, I think I already like you. You're ready with puns." He looked to Diana, "Hermione. Lovely to see you always."

"Tony. How's work on whatever you're working on going?"

He shrugged, "Eh, comes and goes. I got Wilson's wings back, finally, and I can finish the new prototype. It comes complete with a drone!"

The elevator doors opened again and Steve stepped out. A little behind him came Bucky with his gaze on the floor.

"And here comes the Capsicle and Manchurian Candidate." Tony drawled, "Took you guys long enough."

Diana stared at Bucky, willing him to make eye contact with her, but he never looked up.

"You're Captain America!?" Foggy exclaimed, his hand out to shake the Captain's, "But we met! And I didn't know it was you, and wow! I mean, wow! It's an honor and a privilege to meet you again, sir! I had your face on my underwear when I was little!"

Foggy froze. His face turned red. Steve's face turned red. Tony burst out laughing. Matt gave an amused chuckle. Diana facepalmed in an attempt to hide her laughter. Bucky's lips simply twitched up a little as he glanced at his blushing best friend. Steve was never going to hear the end of it.

"Well, after that… interestingly hilarious development, maybe we should get this show on the road." Tony said after he'd calmed down. He motioned to the table over by the kitchenette on the far side of the room.

Foggy took Matt's arm and led him over to the table. Steve raised his eyebrows at Diana in question, but she waved it off, "Tell you later." She told him quietly.

Foggy set his large briefcase on the table, "So, Matt went through the files that Mr. Stark gave us, and I went through the files that got dumped online. I gotta say that a lot of what happened with those wackos made me sick to my stomach. And then I had to watch the video recordings." He looked a bit green, "For obvious reasons, I don't think I slept for a few days."

"We've come up with a strategy," Matt added, "that'll be most likely to win the case. As a defense, we will put forth a 'Not Guilty' plea by reason of mental disease or defect."

"Bucky's not crazy." Steve came to his friend's defense against the defense lawyers.

"No, he's not, but at the times his crimes were committed, we will argue that he was not in his right mind, that he didn't know right from wrong and was simply following orders under extreme duress and threat of harm if he failed even the slightest bit or deviated from his orders. Add to that the effect of brainwashing to the point of amnesia..." Matt returned, "That's what we will mean by mental disease or defect. It's not an insanity or temporary insanity plea. HYDRA erased Sergeant Barnes' moral compass, or maybe 'buried' is a better word since it seems like he's recovering pretty well."

Bucky glanced up at the blind lawyer before turning his gaze back to the table. Diana reached over to try to take his hand, but he slid it away from her as soon as her fingers made contact. Hurt, Diana crossed her arms and leaned slightly away from him.

"Pretty sure that's what my lawyers would argue too, or if they're complete morons, they probably would've had him plead 'Guilty' and walk off with bags of cash." Tony added, "And then I'd immediately fire them."

Matt laid out several folders, "These are several of the paper copies of the Winter Soldier program documents - both the originals and the translations for the Russian, Swiss, and German files. We'll present these to the prosecution and to the judge as a part of our evidence for appraisal. We made sure to cross reference the materials on the flashdrive with those that were released onto the Internet just to note any possible discrepancies between the two."

"We also have sorted through all of the video and audio files," Foggy explained with a grimace, "We've chosen a few that best demonstrate what Sergeant Barnes went through with HYDRA in order to get the point across. They span the entire 70 years of captivity."

Tony took up a few of the files and flipped through them, "You put a lot of work into this."

"Well, we did have a few months." Foggy replied, "It was tough, but we got through all of it."

The discussion continued as Matt and Foggy walked all of them through how a court case would usually go for a criminal case. There were very few that would be considered similar. They cited the trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg from the Cold War and several others that were a bit more obscure.

"How long do we have before the government marks us as fugitives?" Steve asked.

"Their deadline for bringing you in is in a week." Tony told them, "But they don't want Barnes to have his metal arm. I'm pretty sure they'd blast it off if he went as is." As the billionaire spoke, Bucky shrunk in his seat at the mention of removing his arm in such a way.

Diana wanted to reach for him again and assure him that he would be okay, that Tony would never try to hurt him, but Bucky's rejection so fresh in her mind, she simply wrung her hands.

Tony continued, "And I'm pretty sure he'd take offense to that and cause a beat 'em up. So, if we wait a couple more days, I'll examine the arm itself and remove it as best I can without causing pain."

"Why does the government want Bucky to remove his arm? He's not dangerous!" Steve defended his friend.

"Cap, the government views Barnes as only the Winter Soldier, and that metal arm is a weapon considering all the times HYDRA made Barnes use it to kill people." Tony pointed out. Diana grimaced as she remembered that it was, in fact, that arm that had suffocated Tony's mother, "Before I met our defense duo, I had to talk the government down from simply giving Barnes a sham trial with a public defender and assigning him the death penalty. I got him this trial with the promise that he would not come in with his metal arm. So, I think I deserve a 'thank you.'"

The Captain sighed, "I don't like it, Tony. It's like asking an amputee to give over his prosthetic limb."

"None of the prosthetic limbs I've ever seen are made of a vibranium alloy," Tony shot back, "nor could they crush bone."

The blond man balled his hands into fists, "I know, but I don't like it. It's not fair to Bucky."

"Well, we could go search for my arm in the mountains of Austria." The Soldier said softly, "I don't know what condition it'll be in, though." The interjection of Bucky's dry humor sliced through the tension between Tony and Steve, draining it away.

After a short pause, Matt spoke, "I agree with Mr. Stark. We don't want the government to take drastic measures and do as they originally promised. It might be unfair, but this is probably the best arresting deal we'll get."

Steve scowled, but nodded, "Fine. As long as Tony can get the arm off without causing Bucky any pain."

"Can't promise no pain, Cap." Tony replied, "I haven't even looked at it either." His eyes lit up, "I might just make Barnes a new and improved arm that wouldn't have the HYDRA associations in his memory."

"You don't have to do that. My arm is fine as it is." Bucky told the billionaire with a glare.

"Shut up, Barnes. I've already decided. You're gonna get a new arm as soon as I finish with Wilson's wings."

"Well, since we don't have any more to discuss in lieu of the upcoming trial, maybe we should adjourn." Foggy began to gather up the paperwork.

"Thanks for coming in and for all your help." Steve said, standing and leaning over the table to shake each of their hands.

"We'll probably be meeting again in the future once the charges are actually brought and bail is set." Matt explained.

"Sounds good." The Captain nodded.

Diana stood and prepared her Sling ring and watched Matt make his way to Bucky and whispered something to him. The Soldier's blue eyes shifted to Matt and then to Diana before giving a slight nod.

With the portal made, Foggy turned to Tony, Steve and Bucky, "It was awesome to meet you all. I just wish it was under better circumstances. We'll see you soon."

Foggy went through the portal, but Matt stopped next to Diana, "Talk to Barnes. I could tell throughout the meeting that you both need to get something off your chests."

"I will. Thanks, Matty." She nodded and he stepped through the portal.

*FMttM*

Tony had immediately dragged Bucky down to his lab to get a full work up and analysis of his metal arm. Steve and Diana found themselves alone on her floor.

"How did your other missions go after you left me?" She asked.

"They were tough." Steve said, "Bucky actually relapsed a few times back to the Soldier, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle, especially with Sam there to help. I did wonder if that would've happened at all if you had been there, though."

"What difference would me being there have made?"

"You seem to get through to him quicker than I do sometimes." Steve admitted, "I think it's because you haven't gone through a big transformation like I have. I mean, I'm not that scrawny kid in all of Bucky's memories from before the War, so sometimes I think he doesn't entirely recognize me as I am now. He only knew this," The Captain indicated his form, "for about two, almost three years."

"That and his last mission from HYDRA was the order to kill you." Diana agreed.

"I'm sorry we didn't come back for you." Steve told her, "I just thought that you'd be better off resting and recovering and not put straight back into an odyssey that could easily end up with you dead."

"I resented you two for a little while. I kept thinking that you might have thought that I wasn't capable, especially after what Von Strucker did."

The Captain took both of her shoulders, "I'd never think that! Bucky would never think that. Neither would Sam! How could you think that?"

"Playing into my weakness and self doubt. We were Von Strucker's prisoners for days, and I couldn't even get us out of there with my magic, much less my fighting skills."

"Diana, you're one of the best fighters we have. Your magic has saved lives. We would still be stuck in that Belgian HYDRA facility or recaptured without your Sling ring." Steve's expression became grieved, "And still, you almost died. If we hadn't gotten to the Ancient One, and if she hadn't been able to remove that poison from your system, you would have died. And… it would've been my fault."

"Oh Steve…"

"I heard you screaming." He admitted, "I tried punching my way through the wall, the door… I tried to get to you and to Bucky, but they kept giving me something that took away my strength. I should've tried harder, though. I'm so, so sorry."

Diana gripped her friend's arm, "I'm alive. You're alive. Bucky's alive. We're here and we're safe."

"I should've listened to you when you said we should have back-up."

"Once upon a time you took out an entire HYDRA facility by yourself. I can see why you'd be confident that the three of us could handle another of the same kind."

"Bucky feels terrible about what happened, too." Steve told her, "He remembers almost everything from the War now, including his feelings for you." The Captain smirked a little, "Although I'm pretty sure he was well on his way down the same path before getting those memories back."

The blonde sorceress blushed and looked down, "He deserves better than me. Someone like Natasha or… or someone who's not me."

"Natasha? Why would he want Natasha?" Steve's brows furrowed.

Diana shrugged, "She's much more capable than me, and I'm pretty sure they have history. Possibly romantic if the comics are anything to go by."

"Di, listen to me. Buck hasn't given any girl, Natasha or otherwise, a second look since meeting you! And if he has, he was ordered to by HYDRA for a mission. So don't sell yourself short." Steve shook his head, "You and Bucky really need to talk and sort all this out. The furtive glances did not go unnoticed."

"Oh god." She covered her face, "Tony's already mentioned that. Now he's gonna take the opportunity to mock me forever with 'I told you so.'"

"Talk to Bucky soon or Tony and I will team up and lock the two of you in a room until you do talk." Steve gave Diana a stern look.

"I will, Steve." She rolled her eyes.

"Good. And you should do it before he goes on trial. It'll be one less thing he has to worry about."

"Alright, alright. I get it."

"Good. I'll see you later, Di." Steve walked to the elevator with a wave.

Diana crossed her arms and scowled, "Stupid Dorito."

*FMttM*

It was very late - or very early depending on the point of view - when Diana's phone rang with a ringtone she didn't any of her friends. She reached for the phone and looked at the screen.

Unknown Number, but it was local. Figuring Matt was calling for help from a pay phone because his burner ran out of battery, she picked up, "Hello?"

"Miss Larson," JARVIS' British voice came over the phone, "I request that you return to the Tower immediately."

Diana sat up in bed, "What's wrong? What's happened?"

"Sergeant Barnes woke from a nightmare as the Winter Soldier." JARVIS explained, "He does not recognize Captain Rogers."

"Right away." She hopped out of bed as she hung up the phone. She grabbed her Sling ring and made a portal to Steve's floor where the two super soldiers usually stayed.

Upon stepping through and swiping the portal closed, she saw that the Soldier and Steve were on the floor, wrestling for the upper hand in their fight.

"Soldat!" Was the first word out of her mouth. Her eyes darted to Steve as the Soldier froze, acknowledging the name HYDRA had called him for seventy years. The Captain let go of his friend, realizing that he had stopped fighting.

The Soldier watched her for a moment with narrowed eyes. Then he got to his feet and stood at attention, "Ya gotov otvetit'." He rasped.

Diana took a few steps forward and reached up with her hand. His eyes flinched a tiny bit making her heart sink. The Soldier thought she was going to hit him. She laid her hand on the side of his face, "Come back to me. Find your way back to me, Bucky."

The Winter Soldier continued to stand still. Perhaps the protocols HYDRA had given him couldn't compute her request/order. Furthermore, HYDRA probably never touched him gently, ever.

"I know you can do it, you stupid-face. Find your way back." She encouraged.

He started breathing a little more quickly, his eyes went wide, and his pupils constricted despite the darkness. He seemed to not actually be seeing what was in front of his, but rather something else - maybe a memory. After a few moments his head dropped and he started mumbling something that was not English or Russian, "Îmi pare rau." He repeated it over and over, like a chant.

JARVIS' voice came softly over the speakers, "He is saying he is sorry in Romanian." Romanian? That's different. At least it's not Russian.

The Soldier tensed at the AI's voice, and Diana soothed her thumb over his cheekbone, "Shhh… It's okay, Bucky."

"Diana…?" He whispered.

"You found me." She smiled at him.

"What… what happened?" He asked.

"You had a nightmare and woke up the Winter Soldier." She explained softly as she soothed her thumb over his cheek again.

"No…" His voice was so small, "Not again." He shook a little.

"What happened? What did you dream?"

"The words." He told her, "We were back in Belgium, and they said the words. Did I hurt anyone?"

"You and Steve got into a wrestling fight, but I didn't check for injuries. I'm pretty sure Steve's okay since he's not currently bleeding to death on the floor." She brought her hand back to her side.

Bucky breathed out in relief and his stance relaxed. His bowed head touched her forehead, "You came to help."

"Of course I did. Why did you think I wouldn't?"

"I thought you'd be angry with me for what happened."

"Why would I be mad?" Did he think she was still mad at them for leaving her behind?

His hand gripped her free hand, "I tried to kill you and then you almost died because I-"

"You're an idiot." She leaned back and stared at him. He lifted his eyes to her, and the guilt within the blue of his expressive irises was heart-wrenching. "It wasn't your fault. Belgium was not your fault. The regression to the Winter Soldier was not your fault. None of the torture was your fault. The poison wasn't your fault."

"I'm still so very sorry." He murmured, "I… It would've been so hard to keep going if you had died."

"You saved my life. If I'd used any more of my magic after that portal, I would have died." His grip on her hand tightened, "You saved me, Bucky. You. Saved. Me."

"I saved you." He repeated softly.

"Yes, you did."

"And you're okay now?"

"Yeah, I am."

His eyes flicked over her shoulder, "Where'd Steve go?"

"Don't know. He probably went to get cleaned up." She told Bucky.

He gave a nod. Diana was finally able to take in her surroundings and realized that Bucky was completely shirtless. Her cheeks flushed and her eyes darted up to his face.

Bucky's lips twitched up a little, "What's wrong, dollface?" The expression took her back to the last time he'd called her that before his fall.

Diana lifted her hand and ran her fingers along the scar tissue by Bucky's metal arm. "Does it hurt?" She asked softly.

"It did a long time ago, but I'm used to it now." He replied.

"That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."

He paused and then said, "All the time."

"Oh Bucky…"

His flesh hand came up to take her own, "Thanks for coming to help. I don't know how you keep bringing me back from being the Soldier, but I'm glad someone can do it."

"Yeah." She could only stare at him, "Is - Are we okay?"

Bucky smiled a little, "Do you remember what I told you before going on the mission to capture Zola?" He didn't wait for her to answer, "I promised to take you dancing." He declared, "A real, proper date. Although it might have to wait until after the trial."

"Then it'll give us something to look forward to."

*FMttM*

The clerk stood before the court, "Court is called into session. The Honorable Judge Charles A. Wellington presiding. The date is June the 8th, 2014. The case of the United States v. James Buchanan Barnes, otherwise known as The Winter Soldier; Criminal Action 43-11945 will now be heard before this court. Counsel will please identify themselves for the record."

Judge Wellington was an older man with glasses and salt and pepper hair. He made a motion from his seat, "Please be seated."

The Assistant District Attorneys stayed standing for his introduction, "Good morning, Your Honor. For the government of the United States, assistant district attorneys Louis D. VanderKampen and Peter W. Ellison."

"Good morning." The judge acknowledged and the ADAs sat down. Then he looked to the Defense.

Foggy and Matt stood, and the latter introduced them, "Good morning, Your Honor. Matthew M. Murdock and Franklin P. Nelson for the defendant."

"Mr. Murdock, do you waive reading of the indictment in its entirety?"

"Yes, I do, Your Honor."

"Very well." Judge Wellington turned to Bucky who stood in front of his chair with only one arm and his eyes downcast, "Sergeant Barnes," Bucky's gaze snapped up at his name, "you've been charged with several counts of murder in the first degree on domestic and foreign soil, terrorism, and a litany of other charges." Bucky's eyes dropped back to the table in front of him as the judge addressed the attorneys again, "Mr. Murdock, have you had the opportunity to review the indictment such that he is ready to be arraigned?"

"Yes, Your Honor." Matt stood and replied.

"Good, good. Does he have a copy of said indictment?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

Judge Wellington nodded and turned to the Prosecution, "Mr. VanderKampen, if you would please read off the maximum punishments?"

"Of course, Your Honor." He stood again. VanderKampen began to read the list of charges in much more detail with the attached punishments.

Then came time for the plea as the clerk asked, "With these charges filed against you by the United States of America, how do you plead?"

"Not guilty, Your Honor." Bucky replied softly.

"Thank you." Judge Wellington nodded, "Mr. Murdock, will you opt into automatic discovery under the local rules?"

"Yes, I do, Your Honor." Matt answered.

"Very well." The judge turned to the clerk, "Ms. McGregor, will you set the date?"

"June the 21st of 2014 at 2:00 PM?"

"Yes, that's fine." Matt agreed and Foggy followed suit.

"Agreed." VanderKampen and his colleague answered as well.

"Good, good. Thank you." The judge made a note, "Shall we proceed on the hearing of detention?"

"Yes, Your Honor." VanderKampen said, and Matt echoed.

During the hearing, VanderKampen explicitly requested that the monster be chained and put in solitary confinement until trial - no bail. He argued that the Soldier was a flight risk and, despite not having a passport, was known to have skills in aviation as well as stealth, meaning he could steal a plane or easily hide within the belly of an aircraft, or even on a cargo ship. VanderKampen emphasized how dangerous this HYDRA weapon was and reemphasized how many confirmed kills the Soldier was charged with in this trial.

He did his best to dehumanize the defendant so that the monster would not roam free on United States soil.

Once VanderKampen was finished, Foggy began his argument. He explained that there were very few places that could safely hold Bucky if he ever relapsed to the Winter Soldier. Bucky was one of two super soldiers in the world. He had the skill set of a soldier that rivaled those of Captain America. His skills as an assassin were also on par with those of Black Widow. The blond lawyer argued that the safest place for Bucky would be with the Avengers at the Tower where he had the support of his longtime friends who were known to break through the relapses and bring the Sergeant back to his normal self.

Foggy also mentioned that Bucky was still being hunted by HYDRA and should it become known to the general public that the Winter Soldier was being held at a particular prison, said penitentiary may be targeted or attacked so HYDRA could re-obtain their asset.

Furthermore, Foggy argued that with Captain America at the Winter Soldier's side, the defendant was guaranteed to show up for the trial in July.

There was a short recess as Judge Wellington took some time to make his decision on whether to grant or deny bail for the Winter Soldier.

The judge looked down on them and declared, "After much consideration on the points of both the ADA and the Defense, this court had decided that the Avengers Tower is the only location capable of containing Sergeant Barnes should he relapse to the Winter Soldier. However, it is requested by this court that he be monitored on a 24/7 basis, never out of the line of sight from any one person. Should Sergeant Barnes not attend the trial on July the 21st, he will be marked as a fugitive of the law. Dr. Stark, will your Artificial Intelligence be able to do this?"

Tony stood, "Yes, Your Honor."

"Very well. As this imprisonment is the current method of punishment, the cost of bail will not be set. These are the terms of arraignment set by this court." The gavel came down, "Take the defendant to finalize the papers for arraignment and release him to the custody of Captain Steven Grant Rogers and Doctor Anthony Edward Stark. Court is adjourned."

Bucky, Matt, and Foggy were led out of the courtroom by armed officers. Diana turned to look at Steve, Tony, and Natasha, "I think that went pretty well."

"I hope Buck's okay." Steve looked worried.

"He'll be fine." Natasha said, "Don't turn into a mother hen."

They headed out of the courtroom and waited for Bucky and the two lawyers to return.

"So, I was thinking," Diana spoke, "since Steve's nearly caught up on movies from the second half of the 20st Century, I was thinking we should do the same for Bucky over the next month. Everyone can show their favorites."

"That is the most awesome idea I've heard all day." Tony grinned, "I can get it all set up back at the Tower, and we can start tonight if you want."

"No war or espionage movies. I'm pretty sure everything will just get picked apart if we show those."

"Awww, but I wanted to see Barnes' face when we showed Captain America from 1985!" Tony pouted.

Diana crossed her arms and glared playfully at Tony, "No war movies. No spy movies."

"But- but… James Bond!" The billionaire whined.

"Maybe someday, but not today." Diana smiled a little.

It was only a few moments later that Bucky, Matt, and Foggy came from the courtroom. Bucky's walk was a bit odd since he didn't have the weight of his vibranium arm that he'd had for the past 70 years correcting his balance. He always seemed to be walking in a slight diagonal to the right.

"How're you doing, Buck?" Steve asked.

"Been better." He answered. Bucky then reached out, and grasped Diana's hand before looking at his friends, "Let's go home."

*FMttM*

It was the day of the trial. The judge entered the courtroom and the clerk gave the order, "All rise." Everyone in the courtroom rose to their feet, "Court is now in session. Judge Charles A. Wellington presiding. Please be seated."

The entire courtroom followed the clerk's directions. Diana briefly brushed a hand across Bucky's right shoulder, and he turned his head slightly.

Judge Wellington put on a pair of glasses and looked over the papers in front of him. He then looked out at the courtroom, "Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Today we are calling the case of United States v. Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier. The Judge turned to the lawyers at the front, "Attorneys, please state your names for the record."

"Louis D. VanderKampen and Peter W. Ellison for the United States, Your Honor." ADA Louis VanderKampen stood and replied.

Foggy stood as well, "Franklin P. Nelson and Matthew M. Murdock for the Defense, Your Honor."

"Will the clerk please swear in the jury." The Judge gave the order. The clerk swiftly went through the oaths for swearing in the jury.

Once the last juror had been sworn in, the Judge held up some papers with a grim expression on his face, "Your list of crimes, Sergeant Barnes, are extensive and spanning over seventy years. The crimes range from simple assault to acts of terrorism, first degree murder, and treason. How do you plead?"

Foggy stood again, "Not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect."

"Are council ready to proceed?"

"Ready, Your Honor." Mr. VanderKampen replied.

"Ready, Your Honor." Foggy echoed.

"Prosecution, you may begin with your opening statement."

"Thank you, Your Honor." Mr. VanderKampen stood from his chair in his immaculate suit, "Good morning ladies and gentlemen of the jury. The Director of SHIELD Nicholas J Fury. French Defense Minister Jacques Dupuy. Senator Harry Baxtor. Howard and Maria Stark. President John F. Kennedy." A few of the jury members gasped, and a murmur filled the courtroom at that final name.

"Order in the court!" The gavel went down and the voices stopped.

Mr. VanderKampen continued, "These are just some of the confirmed Winter Soldier kills from his seventy year career as HYDRA's master assassin. That man, that murderer, is sitting here before you today claiming to be an innocent victim because he was brainwashed. The documents released after the fall of Triskelion called him the New Fist of HYDRA. Look at him. Look at the man that crushed the life out of so many helpless, truly innocent people. This man is dangerous. The records of the number of people he has killed show his brutality and his bloodthirstiness.

"Even before he was taken in by HYDRA, this man had already killed. During World War II, Sergeant Barnes was trained as a sniper, and his kill count from the 107th Infantry as well as the Howling Commandos is impressive and frightening. He has killed before, so who's to say he won't kill again? Don't be fooled by his downtrodden expression. Don't be fooled by Captain Rogers' insistence that somewhere in that soldier is a good man. Don't be fooled that this man is anything but a vicious criminal, a monster.

"I have named various victims of some importance and celebrity, but the documents I have submitted to this court show many, many more murders attributed to the Winter Soldier. His victims were not only the men, women, and children he killed, but also the families and friends left behind in the wake of their deaths. Some of his victims he shot without even seeing their faces. Some of his victims he faced and put a bullet through their heads as they begged on their knees for mercy. For some of his victims, he choked the life from their bodies with that monstrous metal arm.

"This man says that he was brainwashed, that his memories were completely erased. I tell you that it doesn't matter. He caused these deaths. He murdered human beings in cold blood! That is inexcusable. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the Winter Soldier's victims deserve justice, so let justice be served by giving a guilty verdict."

There was a brief pause as Mr. VanderKampen returned to his seat.

Matt then stood and turned toward the jury. He paused for a moment, his head tilted to the side, listening. Then he spoke, "Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I stand before you the grandson of a World War II Veteran, a lowly Private who met Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes while he was in the hospital in London. He had been a prisoner of war and met them after the Commandos had completed a mission in the city. My grandfather told my dad about the meeting and in turn my father told me. Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes may not have known it at the time, but they inspired so many young people during the War, and they continue to do so today."

"The Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute calls James Buchanan Barnes a Fallen Hero. And in many ways he is an all American hero as much as his best friend. He lived through the Great Depression. He enlisted into the United States Army as soon as he could, even though he knew it would mean leaving his best friend behind. Despite not even having a high school diploma, Barnes received the rank of Sergeant and was put in charge of an entire squad of the 107th Infantry against the Nazis. He survived being a Prisoner of War for several months, protecting his men and others from the hands of the Nazi Applied Sciences Division long before Captain America came to the rescue. James Buchanan Barnes is a Howling Commando who did what he had to in a time of war where it was certain the enemy was evil, was in the wrong."

"But then he fell. Everyone thought that he had died a hero. No one thought he could have survived the plummet into that ravine in the mountains of Austria in the middle of winter. No one thought he would be taken by Soviet soldiers, who at the time were our allies, and not be returned to his homeland. No one thought that HYDRA had survived the downfall of the Red Skull and grew within the Soviet Union. No one thought that Arnim Zola, under the employ of the United States Government, would secretly continue with his human experimentation. No one thought that James Buchanan Barnes, American hero and best friend of Captain America, would be ripped apart and reassembled into a villain, an assassin, a machine with no will of its own."

Matt paused and folded his hands over his cane, "The Howling Commandos were men that everyone looked up to, that everyone wanted to be like because they were brave, honest, and true." The Defense lawyer turned toward the table where Bucky sat with his gaze lowered, "This man sitting before you is one of those brave, honest, and true members of the Howling Commandos. Some of what you may see and hear during this trial will make your stomach churn. You might get angry. You might even weep. HYDRA has committed heinous crimes against humanity, and what HYDRA put this man through was, is, the very epitome of evil. It was HYDRA who erased everything that made James Buchanan Barnes an individual human being and left only a soldier - no, not a soldier; that implies that they left him a small shred of his humanity. No, they made him into a living weapon, a weapon meant to be pointed in a direction and created to be unstoppable.

"You may want justice for the victims of the Winter Soldier. But I tell you that James Buchanan Barnes is not the villain of this story, nor is he the weapon HYDRA wanted him to be. He is a victim of evil, and he deserves justice too. At the end of this trial, if you agree with that statement, return a verdict of not guilty."

Matt returned to his seat between Foggy and Bucky. The Soldier still had his head bowed, but he whispered a soft, "Thanks for saying all that. I don't deserve it," to Matt.

The trial went into a brief recess for about ten minutes before everyone returned to the courtroom for the bulk of the trial to begin.

*FMttM*

The prosecution called several witnesses to various assassinations done by the Winter Soldier that had only been in the HYDRA notes. The general public hadn't known about these kills prior to the SHIELD/HYDRA dump. However, they were not influential or high profile enough for the jury to care. It did, however, establish a pattern or even an escalation for the assassinations.

"Prosecution, call your next witness." The Judge ordered.

"I call Anthony Edward Stark to the stand." Mr. VanderKampen looked a bit smug. As if taking one of their own and turning him against them would tip the scales in his favor.

Tony scowled, and stood, straightening his suit coat as he strode toward the witness stand. He was sworn in and sat in the designated chair. Then, a smirk appeared on his face as he leaned back in the chair.

"Mr. Stark," Mr. VanderKampen addressed the billionaire, "prior to the incident at the Triskelion, please tell us what you knew about the events of December 16, 1991."

"It was the night my parents died." Tony answered simply, "I thought my father had crashed the car because he was drunk."

"Was there a police investigation at the time?"

Tony shrugged, "Don't know. I didn't care about the how because I thought I knew. I was young and angry and didn't get along with my dad."

"When did you discover the truth about your parents' deaths?"

"After Nick Fury's death and before the fall of the Triskelion."

"And what did you discover?"

"As I scoured the flash drive I'd been brought, I found a file labelled with my parents' death dates." Tony answered, "There were several documents and a security camera recording in the file."

Mr. VanderKampen turned to the Judge, "Your Honor, I would like to present that recording now as evidence of the assassination."

The video was very similar to the one Diana had seen in Captain America: Civil War, except there was no zooming in on Howard when the Winter Soldier destroyed the elder Stark's face with that metal arm or Maria as the Soldier choked her to death.

Mr. VanderKampen turned to Tony, "How did you feel when you first saw this recording?"

"Shocked. Furious." Tony answered, "The Winter Soldier killed my parents. I wanted to get revenge and kill him. He was nothing but a monster and needed to be put down."

"Thank you. No more questions." The prosecution lawyer had a smug look again.

"Defense, your witness."

Matt stood and buttoned his suit coat, "Mr. Stark, I notice that you used the past tense when describing your feelings about your parents' murderer, the Winter Soldier. Has something changed in the meantime?"

"Yes, I did change my mind about the Winter Soldier."

"Please explain why you changed your mind."

"That wasn't the first recording I watched when scouring that flashdrive." Tony explained, "I'd seen some short, grainy videos from the fifties before I found that one. What I found was difficult to watch. Diana Larson, Shieldmaiden," he motioned to her, "was the one who brought me the flashdrive, and she got it from Nick Fury himself. By the time I got to Diana's workroom to confront her about it, I'd calmed down a bit and knew that the Winter Soldier wasn't to blame for my parents' deaths. It was HYDRA. The Soldier just happened to be their weapon of choice."

"Are you still angry at the Winter Soldier?"

"After what he's been through?" Tony's eyebrows went up, "I thought I knew about torture from Afghanistan. What I went through was like going to Hawaii compared to what Barnes endured, and I had shrapnel from my own weapons and a magnet powered by a car battery stuck in my chest." There was a titter of laughter before Tony continued, "So, no, I'm not angry at Barnes. He needs help or therapy, not a jail cell."

"Thank you Mr. Stark." Matt nodded and returned to his seat.

The smug look on Mr. VanderKampen's face had faded.

*FMttM*

"Prosecution, call your next witness."

"I call David S. Morrison, Retired Secret Service, to the stand."

An older man in military uniform strode forward purposefully and was sworn in.

"Mr. Morrison, could you tell us the significance of the date March 12, 1973?"

"That's the day Senator Harry Baxtor was drowned in his pool at his home in Tallahassee, Florida during his bid for the nomination for the presidency."

"How would you describe the senator? That is, what was he like to work for?"

"Senator Baxtor was a good man. He had strong beliefs and wanted to make the country a better place for everyone." Mr. Morrison answered, "He was always kind to the people on his team and listened to the ideas coming from the people he hired. Senator Baxtor was even discussing ways with his team to end the Cold War in a peaceful way so that the United States and the Soviet Union could live together without the constant threat of nuclear war hanging over their heads."

"Were you present when the assassination occurred?"

"No sir. Mr. Baxtor had sent us home for the night. He believed he was safe on his own property, in his own home."

"Thank you, Mr. Morrison." Mr. VanderKampen turned to the jury, "Upon investigation of the crime scene, police noted that a security camera had been ripped out of the wall. It was the only camera that had a view of the pool and would have been extremely useful in solving Senator Baxtor's murder." The Prosecution paused, "The Winter Soldier took that tape with him and HYDRA kept the recording as proof of assassination. We are going to view that tape now, submitting it as out next Exhibit."

The recording cued up, showing a view of an outdoor pool at dusk. A man, assumingly Senator Baxtor, was swimming the front crawl across the length of the pool, down and back. After several laps, Baxtor came to a rest at the side of the pool and pulled himself out. He walked out of frame. Moments later, his body went flying back into the pool with a giant splash. A dark shape with a shiny left arm came to the edge of the pool and knelt down. Baxtor came up for air close to the dark shape who was obviously the Winter Soldier. The Soldier reached over with his metal arm, clamped down on Baxtor's head, and pushed him underwater. The Senator flailed, his hands, grabbing at the metal arm, but its smooth surface prevented him from getting a hold of the arm that was drowning him.

After a few moments, the flailing eased and finally stopped. The Winter Soldier lifted his hand out of the water and jerked Baxtor's body so that it was floating face down in the pool. The Soldier strode over to the camera, reached up, and… the video went to static once the Soldier had taken the tape from the camera.

Mr. VanderKampen turned to his witness, "Who found Mr. Baxtor's body?"

"When Mr. Baxtor didn't answer his door in the morning, we broke in and found his body." Mr. Morrison answered, "The police were, of course, called, and it was ruled an accidental drowning. I always suspected differently, though."

"Thank you, Mr. Morrison. No more questions."

"Defense, your witness." The judge declared.

Matt stood again and approached the military man, "Mr. Morrison, you have quite a bit of military training, do you not?"

"Yes, I do. Before joining the Service, I served in the United States Army for several years."

"When did you serve in the army?"

"I was deployed to Korea from 1950-1953, and stayed in South Korea until 1965 on base in Seoul."

"What sort of training did you have to go through to prepare for the Korean War?"

"Five am to ten pm every day for basic training. We were familiarized with the various guns and other weapons we would use while overseas. We would train in tactics to counter guerrilla warfare and trench warfare. We also had some hand-to-hand combat training, mainly judo. There was, of course, a lot of cardio training, both for stamina, speed, and agility. Those parts of basic haven't changed much since World War I."

"What about psychological training?"

Mr. Morrison gave a wry smile, "If you've seen Full Metal Jacket, the scene where the Drill Sergeant screams at his recruits - that's a lot like Basic Training in the beginning. Or at least it was from my experience. My squad needed to move as a unit, as one. We needed to be able to read each other's movements at a moment's notice and act accordingly. Again, the training has been relatively the same for centuries."

"Hmmm… What about interrogation?"

"Interrogation wasn't really something we thought about. Being a POW usually came with hard labor. As I was a simple Private at the time, it wasn't a topic I worried about."

"What about the officers, say, a Sergeant?"

"I'm not sure. Officer training during wartime isn't usually that different from normal basic training. However, I suppose as you go up the chain of command, it's possible to receive more training, like in resisting interrogation. I didn't go through it since my promotions occurred during peacetime."

"Thank you, Mr. Morrison. No more questions."

*FMttM*

"Call your next witness." The judge ordered.

"This witness was extremely difficult to find." Mr. Ellison stated, "It took quite some time to track him down. However, we found him, surprisingly holed up in Colorado after quite a bit of globetrotting. You may be wondering who we're talking about. Our next exhibits - photographs of the John F. Kennedy assassination on September 22, 1963." He held up a large photograph of the witnesses from the JFK assassination. It was the mysterious photo of the babushka lady. Then he switched to another that had the full face of the babushka lady, but it was still grainy and shot from far away. "When the HYDRA files were made public, there was a photo of a young man in HYDRA uniform and then in this exact costume." He moved the old photo aside to reveal the HYDRA picture, "He has been in custody since we found him a little over a week ago, being protected from the HYDRA agents still at large. And so, I call Mr. Alexei Denisov to the stand."

An elderly man in cuffs was led forward by two SWAT officers. Mr. Denisov's eyes darted fearfully to Bucky, who was scrutinizing the HYDRA (former?) agent.

Mr. Ellison looked at his notes as Mr. Denisov was sworn in. Then he looked up and said, "Mr. Denisov, how long were you serving as a part of HYDRA?"

"I joined HYDRA in 1949." He answered with a thick Russian accent.

"How were you recruited to HYDRA?"

"Doctor Zola had stormed our Soviet fortress in Siberia with his agents in late 1948. The agents killed those who fought back. He converted those who surrendered. He took the Asset, claiming it as his own because he was its creator, its originator."

"The Asset?" Mr. Ellison asked.

"The Winter Soldier."

"I see. Who was in charge of this new HYDRA base?"

"Zola put one of his loyal officers in charge of the new forces and began his experiments on the Asset."

"Thank you. Please tell us of your mission that occurred on November 22, 1963."

"I was one of the few on staff who had experience in espionage and disguise through the KGB." Mr. Denisov explained, "We needed someone able to get close and not be identified to act as contact and handler for the Asset. We would use prosthetics, make-up, Hollywood caliber. It was either a race change or a gender change. I chose the latter."

"When did you first meet the Winter Soldier?"

"We defrosted him in the early hours of the morning on November 22." Mr. Denisov answered, "I prepped him."

Diana tensed. If this guy prepped the Winter Soldier for this mission, and he was part of the Soviet soldiers who'd begun the conditioning, it was very possible he knew the reset words, "Matt," She whispered and watched as his head twitched toward her, "this guy might be able to activate the Winter Soldier. If he starts speaking Russian and Bucky gets uneasy or tense or something about him changes, someone will have to stop Denisov before he completes the ten words." Diana saw Matt lower his chin in a mild nod.

Mr. Denisov continued speaking while Diana whispered to Matt, "We had a patsy, of course. We'd tracked down a traitor who'd tried to reveal us to the government - Lee Harvey Oswald. He would be set up to take the fall for the assassination. The Asset was to kill JFK; Oswald would take the fall. Then when the opportunity presented itself, the Asset was to kill Oswald too. However, Jack Ruby got to Oswald before we could. I suppose it was providence."

"What was your job while the Winter Soldier took his shooting position?" Mr. Ellison asked.

"I was to film the event as proof of death."

Mr. Ellison motioned to the photo of the babushka lady, "Is this you in the photograph, the figure dubbed the 'babushka lady'?"

Mr. Denisov paused, "Yes."

"Thank you. No more questions."

"Defense, your witness." The judge said.

Foggy was about to stand, but Matt put a hand on his shoulder, "I got this." The blonde lawyer blinked, but could see the frown on his face.

"Okay."

Matt turned toward the witness, "Mr. Denisov, was the Winter Soldier ever given a choice to refuse the mission? This was the President of the United States after all."

"After the Asset was defrosted, he was wiped -"

"Wiped? What does that mean?" Matt interrupted.

"The Asset was given a clean slate. Any memories it retained prior to cryosleep or any memories it regained from its dreams were erased. Only its skills and conditioning remained."

"You keep calling him an 'it.'" Matt's voice was sharp, "Why?"

"The Asset is the weapon of HYDRA. It is to be used when needed and then returned to cryo to await the next mission." Mr. Denisov stated, "The Asset is nothing more than our iron fist, our living weapon."

Those particular words sent a chill down Diana's spine. Iron Fist. Living Weapon. Danny Rand. Had HYDRA been searching for K'un Lun since WWII when the Norse search failed? That brought about another question: Was HYDRA associated with The Hand? Why use those particular words if there were no connections?

"In fact… zhelaniye."

"No…" Bucky went tense.

"Rzhavyy."

"Please… don't." Bucky begged, bowing his head as his only hand dug into the table.

Diana stood and shouted, "Stop him!"

"Semnadtsat'."

Bucky started shaking and he grit his teeth. Diana knew it was breaking the rules of the court, but she didn't care as she vaulted over the divider and jammed herself between Bucky and the table, "Buck, look at me. Listen to me."

His eyes, which had been squeezed tightly shut, opened a little, "Diana."

"Rassvet." Bucky twitched at the word.

"Concentrate on me, listen to me." She said, "Do you remember when you were training me to shoot, and you had to correct my positioning?"

He paused, "A little."

"It was the first time I felt… it was the first time I'd actually felt like I could do something to help. It was the first time someone made me feel like I could be useful." She reached up and touched his face, "It was the first time I wanted to care about the people I thought of as fiction. I didn't really think about it at the time, but looking back, that's where things started to change." Bucky stared at her, listening intently, focused on her.

There was a commotion behind her, but she didn't really pay attention to what it was, "Bucky, you made me feel like I could stay in this universe and belong. That training session," she ran her thumb across his cheekbone, "that's where everything really started for me."

His right hand came up and covered hers, "I'm not that man anymore."

"I know. And that's good because I'm not that woman anymore either. And that's okay. You'll remember him eventually, and he'll become a part of who you are now. But I don't need him because I have you."

"I don't deserve you or any of this." Bucky replied softly.

"Well, you're just going to have to deal with it because we're all with you 'til the end of the line." She smiled, "It's not just you and Steve anymore either. You've got a new team - Sam, Tony, Bruce, Natasha - if she's not still mad at you for shooting her… you'll like Clint too. And when Thor returns, he'll bring his archaic speech and his booming voice with him and call you 'Friend Bucky' or maybe even 'Soldier of Winter.'"

That made a tiny smile flit across Bucky's features, "Sounds like he's a swell guy."

"You're going to have people who support you, who will help you. So many of them understand having red on their ledger - Natasha's got it; Tony's got it, although he'll deny it. They'll understand you best."

"You understand me better than everyone, except maybe Steve."

She smirked a little, "Well, I do have a third person perspective, personal experience, and Sebastian Stan's interpretations to go off of."

Bucky took a deep breath, "The words have stopped," and squeezed her hand, "thank you."

"Diana." Steve's voice came behind her and she looked over her shoulder, "The judge has called for a recess until tomorrow."

Diana stood, although Bucky didn't let go of her hand, "Okay. We should make our way home."


	21. The Trial - Part 2

**Aoi Dragon: Here is another chapter of the trial. I hope you enjoy it!**

 ***FMttM***

When the Avengers returned to the Tower, the tension was palpable. Tony was the first to speak once they got to the residential floors. He turned on Diana, "What the hell was that?"

She was actually glad he hadn't confronted her at the courthouse. The people didn't need to know how close they'd come to being face-to-face with the Winter Soldier after a complete reset. She crossed her arms, "Those were the series of words used to reset the Winter Soldier to a blank slate before a wipe and cryo."

"And you didn't think to, I don't know, tell us?"

"I didn't know that the prosecution would be able to find some Soviet HYDRA agent who knew the codes! I barely know the words myself! I only know they're a series of Russian words from the Red Book, something I told you to search for!" She snapped back, "I'm not omnipotent, Stark!"

"But you still knew, and you didn't say anything!"

"You know, this wasn't supposed to come out until two years from now." She pointed out, "In the original timeline, Bucky spent two years regaining his memories _by himself_ while hanging out in Romania. He did well enough until some asshole decided to make a mask of his face and blow up the UN in Vienna. He'd already found the Red Book by the time he came at the Avengers, and used the words to wipe Bucky and make him look more guilty when he escaped custody." Diana snarled, "That's the only reason I know about the words. I had no idea there was anyone else alive who might know them!"

"Okay, everyone just needs to calm down." Steve put out his hands in an appeasing motion, "Nothing bad happened."

"Oh yeah, nothing bad happened this time." Tony snarked, "What about next time? Denisov didn't say the words fast. What if next time someone just rattles off the words in quick succession? What then?"

"Then I'll bring Bucky to the astral plane." Diana said, "It undid the reset before in Belgium. I could do it again."

"And you didn't do that this time because….?"

She hesitated, "I… I wasn't thinking about magic. I…"

"You won't always be around to send me to the astral plane during an attempted reset." Bucky said quietly, "What you did was give me something real to focus on other than the words. It helped more than you know."

Tony scoffed, "Right. Well, I'm going to my lab to intensify the search for that Red Book and maybe do a side search for all of the Winter Soldier's handlers who might know the codes. You know, actually do something useful." He turned on his heel to the elevator and left the floor.

"You okay, Diana?" Steve asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She sighed, "Yeah, I guess so. Tony just needs to cool off. He doesn't like it when information is kept from him."

"I'm sorry." Bucky murmured.

"What?" Diana stared at him, and so did Steve, "What have you got to be sorry about?"

"The conditioning, the codes, they're still in my head." Bucky bowed his head, "I'm a danger to everyone as long as they're in there."

"No, Buck." Steve went over to his best friend, "It's not your fault. We just haven't had enough time to deal with that stuff. We will, though. We'll figure out a way to get rid of those codes so you don't have to feel like that ever again."

"I just… I don't think I deserve all of this after what I've done." He looked up, but didn't meet anyone's eyes, "I should be locked up in a jail cell."

"Don't say things like that." Diana took his hand, "Those codes prove that you weren't you during your missions. Denisov also proved that HYDRA viewed you as a thing and not a person by continuously calling you an 'it' and not a 'he.'"

"How can you guys be so good?" Bucky asked, "After everything we've seen and done, how can you be so hopeful?"

Steve spoke first, "I've always wanted to see the good in people." He smirked a little, "It's why I put up with Tony. He's a bit rough around the edges - actually really rough around the edges - and he lashes out like a spoiled child when things don't go his way or at least the way he thinks they should, but he is a good man. I didn't really see that until he nearly sacrificed his life during the Battle of New York. So, yeah, I have hope that people are inherently good and will do the right thing if given the chance."

"All good things start with hope." Diana told Bucky and then smiled, "You just have to look for it and take the risk. It'll be worth it in the end."

"I guess I just don't see the world the way you do."

"Let me tell you a story, then." She said, and tugged Bucky over to a couch, "Sit. You too, Steve."

Diana paused and thought for a few moments, trying to sort out the timeline in her head, "Okay, this story isn't actually mine. It was a TV show in my universe called _Once Upon a Time_. It doesn't exist here, although I don't know why. I mean… David and Jefferson could've easily been recast, or Fandral could simply have Zachary Levi's face the entire time, but that's neither here nor there." She waved off the thought tangent and gave the two super soldiers an embarrassed look, "So, this story actually starts over three hundred years ago.

She began telling Rumpelstiltskin's story from his mother Fiona trying to change his fate when he was a baby all the way through six plus seasons of television to his happy ending with Belle and Gideon and beyond to Hyperion Heights. Through those three hundred plus years of murder, blood, sorrow, and pain, Rumpelstiltskin - a horrible and feared villain through most of his long life - had found hope and love and gained his happy ending.

"If someone like that, who killed more people in his long life than anyone in this room received a happy ending, I don't see a reason why you shouldn't get one too." She told Bucky. He still looked unsure, "Do you need another story? One that's a bit closer to yours? Because I have at least two more."

"No. You've given me a lot to think about." Bucky told her.

"Okay." She nodded, "We're always here for you, Buck, because we love you for who you are." His gaze shot to hers and the look in those fathomless blue eyes made her heart stutter, and she started blushing. She'd said the 'L' word.

Steve cleared his throat, "We'll get rid of those codes, Buck. We have both technology and magic at our disposal. I think one or the other will be able to help you."

Bucky nodded, "Thank you."

*FMttM*

Diana made her way down to the lab where JARVIS had told her Tony was still tinkering. She knocked on the door frame.

Tony glanced up from what he was working on, "What?" He then looked back down.

"I'm not going to apologize for not saying anything about the reset words because I didn't know they'd be a problem without the Red Book," she told him, "but there's an actual problem that I think should be looked into from a business world standpoint."

"Yeah? Talk to Pepper." Tony brushed her off.

"I doubt you'd want Pepper anywhere near a cult of chi-manipulating ninjas that dates back to Constantinople." Diana said wryly.

That got the billionaire's attention, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"The Hand. It's an organization that's been around for a while, Constantinople, like I said." Diana told him, "One of the fingers of the Hand is a businesswoman who currently calls herself Alexandra. She has her own corporation - Midland Circle - and she works with or will be working with the Rand Corporation through Harry and Ward Meachum. Her underlings also work with Union Allied Incorporated. So that's two businesses under the thumb of the Hand."

"I don't see the problem yet."

"Her plan, or at least the one that's closest to home and coming up soon, is to implode Hell's Kitchen and much of Manhattan once they retrieve a dragon skeleton from beneath the surface."

"A dragon skeleton? Really? You're joking."

Diana crossed her arms, "I'm not joking. Not many dragons exist. They're usually challenged and defeated by an Iron Fist of K'un Lun, a hidden magical city in the Himalayas."

"You're serious."

"Anyway, the dragon skeleton itself doesn't matter. It's a McGuffin. Search the history of Midland Circle's financials. You'll probably find a very interesting trail of assets passing from company to company throughout the years. You'll also find that the name on the transfer is the same handwriting."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"A bit of a peace offering. I don't like it when my friends are mad at me," she replied, "and anyway, I know you can actually do something about this because business is your world. The Hand is trying to play in it. I just want to see them fail, epicly fail. Plus, Danny Rand isn't dead, and when he comes back, he'll need a bit of guidance since he has the education and relative personality of a twelve year old." Diana smirked, "You could call him a 'thundering dumbass.'"

"You really want me to mentor some adult kid in business?" Tony arched an eyebrow.

"Well, it's either that or Danny bumbles through business and sucks at it. It also helps that you're a superhero. He'll be able to identify with that too."

"I'll think about it." The billionaire turned back to his tinkering. It was his dismissal.

*FMttM*

The trial started up again the next day. The prosecution had another witness that would hopefully overshadow the disaster that was Alexei Denisov.

"I call Dr. Helene Weller to the stand." Mr. VanderKampen said.

A dark-haired woman strode confidently to the clerk and was sworn in. She then primly took her seat in the witness chair.

"Dr. Weller, you've spent your life studying Captain America, the Howling Commandos, and the super soldier serum, have you not?"

"Yes. I have. I have PhDs in several related areas in order to analyze exactly what the serum did to Captain Rogers, looking at his full physicals pre- and post-serum."

"And according to the files which have been made public, what exactly does the serum do?"

"It enhances everything about a person, not just their physical prowess, but their mental abilities and personality. If a person has a temper, they will go into rages. If they have a penchant for self-sacrifice, they will be near altruistic. The variations go on."

"So you would say that the trait must be present in a subject in order for it to be enhanced?"

"Yes."

"Have you analyzed the results for Captain Rogers?"

"Yes, I made comparisons between accounts of his physicality, his mental processes, and his personality. When he became famous as the Army's bonds seller, many people gave accounts of what he'd been like growing up. They're all now at the Smithsonian, of course, for anyone to read, but prior to that, the diaries, interviews, and journals were kept for scholars at New York University's library."

"Did you analyze anyone else?"

"Of course. I did analyses of all of the Howling Commandos' profiles from before, during, and after the War. Missions that were declassified could give an in-depth view of how the Howling Commandos worked together to be one of the most successful units on the Eastern Front."

"Did you study Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes?

"Yes, I did.

"How would you describe him?"

Dr. Weller thought for a moment, "Unfailingly loyal. So much so that some scholars had theories that he and the Captain were lovers. Sergeant Barnes is also extremely protective of the people he cares for. It shows in his actions and reactions as a sniper for the Howling Commandos: his viciousness when dispatching an enemy - usually head-shots when Captain Rogers was involved."

"So even before HYDRA took him, Sergeant Barnes had an inclination toward violence?"

"I wouldn't say that. According to accounts outside the military, Sergeant Barnes would never start a fight, only finish them, and they were usually with people who were picking on others like Captain Rogers before the super soldier serum. Again, his protective streak runs deep."

"Could this protective streak, as you call it, be twisted into something more violent?"

"Yes, it could. A person might inform Sergeant Barnes of an incident where he would feel justified in his fight even if said incident never occurred or the opposite was true. A twisted story could mislead anyone to act on behalf of people they care about."

"In the case of the Winter Soldier, do you see this characteristic in the Soldier's missions?"

Dr. Weller paused, "There are similarities between the way the Winter Soldier holds himself and the way Sergeant Barnes is seen to hold himself in the films and photos. I cannot conclude much on the personality end as, according to the documents pertaining to conditioning in the Winter Soldier program, he seems to be remade new each time and molded for one specific purpose before being erased again at the end of each mission. However, the base instincts are those of Sergeant Barnes. HYDRA trained him to see them as his masters, his family, and so, his loyalty was to them, his protection belonged to them."

"So the Winter Soldier was doing this to protect HYDRA because the Soldier was loyal to them?"

"The blank slate, the Winter Soldier, was told to be loyal to them, yes. He was told that HYDRA needed protecting, that it was paramount, so that protective streak he had for Captain Rogers was transferred to HYDRA. He knew nothing else and so believed them."

"At the most basic of instincts, as the 'blank slate' as you called it, would the Winter Soldier do anything for HYDRA?"

"Yes."

"Even kill?"

"Yes, he would and has."

"Thank you, no more questions."

Foggy took this witness, "Dr. Weller, what differences have you seen between the Winter Soldier and Sergeant James Barnes?"

"Now that's a difficult question to answer. As I said before, the Winter Soldier is all the very basic instincts of any human being with a personality type like Sergeant Barnes's. The Winter Soldier is told something is a danger and sent out to get rid of it. That aspect of Sergeant Barnes is unhindered by conscience because HYDRA told him it was the right thing to do, just like Hitler told his Third Reich that exterminating the undesirables was the right thing to do. HYDRA made sure that the Winter Soldier didn't know anything BUT their point of view with the conditioning and continuous memory wipes to prevent the forming of self, personality, and conscience. They would not allow him to think for himself, only follow orders. That's what makes the Soldier dangerous. He will follow whoever controls him, especially after a memory wipe."

"And Sergeant Barnes?"

"The Sergeant was similar in his loyalty to Captain Rogers. He was offered full medical discharge after Azzano, but, as we all know, he followed his best friend and continued to fight in the War. This decision has brought us to where we are now."

"Thank you. I have no more questions." Foggy nodded.

Mr. VanderKampen stood, "No redirect. The Prosecution rests."

*FMttM*

Foggy took the lead for the Defense because most of the evidence they would present was visual, photos and videos. Since Matt was impaired in that department, according to Foggy's knowledge, Matt would only interview the witnesses for the Defense, all of whom were going to be personal references for Bucky's previous and current frame of mind.

"Our first witness has known James Buchanan Barnes since they were children. They played together, fought together, saved each other. I call Captain Steven Rogers to the stand."

Steve stood and made his way to the witness stand. He was sworn in and sat in the chair. Bucky was watching his best friend intently.

"Captain Rogers -"

"Just Steve, or Mr. Rogers, I guess." Steve replied, "Captain America is a symbol of the military and not who I want to be at this time."

Foggy nodded, "Very well, Mr. Rogers, how old were you when you first met James Barnes?"

"We were both about 12 years old." Steve replied with a nostalgic smile, "I'd just gotten beat up by some bullies, and Bucky came to the rescue and chased them away."

"Why were the bullies attacking you?"

"Objection!" Mr. Ellison stood, "Relevance?"

"Goes to character of the witness," Foggy defended, "and illustrates why Mr. Barnes intervened."

"I'll allow it. Mr. Rogers?"

Steve thought for a moment and a small, embarrassed smile crossed his face, "You know, I got into so many fights as a kid for defending girls' honor, stray animals, and stuff like that… I can't be sure what it was that time."

"That's okay." Foggy said, "It's not necessary to know. Just an anecdote. How would you describe Mr. Barnes as you grew up together?"

The Captain's smile widened, "Bucky was a real charmer. Everyone liked him. He was smart, athletic, and talkative - especially with girls. You'd probably call him flirty nowadays, but he always treated the girls he took out dancing with respect. He had a younger sister, you see, so he treated the girls how he'd want boys to treat Rebecca." He huffed a laugh, though, "He was stubborn as an ox, though. Once he put his mind to something, he would make it happen.

"Considering people like me were usually considered unworthy of life at the time, I was amazed that he even wanted to hang out with me in the beginning. After he continued to come after me and help me get out of fights, I never took Bucky's friendship for granted."

Bucky had a small smile on his face, "Stupid punk."

"Then, when my mother died…" Steve swallowed, "When my mother died, he was there for me. Said he'd be with me to the end of the line. That promise kept me going because I still had family, even if they weren't blood.

"When the War came around, I tried to enlist. Of course, Bucky didn't want me to," Steve couldn't help but smirk, "because of all my medical issues. That didn't stop me, though; I'm more stubborn than he is. Then, Bucky got drafted and left for the war, I knew I had to try again and enlist in the army. I couldn't stand by and just… do nothing. The rest, as you know, is history."

"Once Mr. Barnes left for the War, when was the next time you saw him?"

"I was in Azzano, Italy with the Captain America USO troupe, performing for the 107th Infantry." Steve explained, "I'd half expected Bucky to start shouting at me about how I'd changed and enlisted during the performance. When there was no commentary from the peanut gallery," a fleeting smile was sent Bucky's way, "I had to know what happened to him. Found out his squad had been captured by by the Nazi Applied Science Division or HYDRA and decided to go on a rescue mission. I found him in that facility on a lab table. We got out, and we were safe. That's all I really cared about."

"Did you notice anything different about Sergeant Barnes after he came back?"

"Well, he was a lot more serious, but so was everyone. It was war." Steve said, "It's difficult to be as carefree as we were when we were kids or in the States before the War. He was a lot more intense, too, but I chalked that up to him having a personal vendetta against HYDRA. Some of the other Commandos were like that too, though, so I didn't think it was unusual. Even I got like that when we were on a mission - focused, intent on finishing the mission, and going home.

"Things didn't change until…" Steve hesitated, his eyes darting to Diana as if asking permission to talk about her. She gave him a nod.

"Until?" Came the prompt.

"Private James Morita, our medic, was wounded during a patrol. Diana Larson had just joined us as a nurse, and so, since we were so far removed from, well, anywhere, she replaced the site medic. She helped patch us up when we got into firefights."

"Expand on how things changed for Sergeant Barnes." Foggy said.

Steve smiled a little, "Well, Diana and Peggy, that is Agent Carter, were the only women on base. They were both tough as nails. Although Peggy was more fiery and unyielding, Diana, she's calmer but just as vibrant. When she was with us in the mess hall or spending time with the Commandos, I could see Bucky from before the War." Steve looked a bit wistful, "She brought a lightness to our group that seemed to be missing before then. We were lucky to have her with us."

Foggy glanced at Diana too. That story, how she'd been a part of the SSR in World War II, was not something that had been in the files. All she could do was shrug. Foggy turned back to Steve, "Before the Winter Soldier was revealed to be Sergeant Barnes during the Triskelion Incident, when was the last time you saw your friend?"

A grimace of pain crossed Steve's face, "In the mountains in Austria. We were on a mission to capture Arnim Zola on his personal train. The side of Zola's train got ripped open by an explosion from HYDRA canons. Bucky got thrown out after being hit by a second blast, and when I got to him, he was barely hanging on. I… I couldn't get to him before he lost his grip. He fell. If anyone is at fault for the actions of the Winter Soldier, it's me… because I couldn't save him."

"Thank you, Mr. Rogers. No more questions." Foggy returned to his seat as Mr. VanderKampen stood and approached the witness stand.

"First of all, Mr. Rogers, I'd like to thank you for your service during World War II," He said, "and for your further service during the Incidents in New York and Washington DC."

"Just doing my duty for my country." Steve nodded.

"Now, you said you were present when the defendant fell from the train. What exactly was the original plan?" The prosecutor asked.

"The mission objective was always to capture Zola by any means necessary. We'd been scouting the tracks for weeks to find the perfect place to board his train. The boarding party consisted of myself, Bucky, and Private Gabriel Jones. We split up, Gabe staying on the roof of the train and heading toward the engine to find Zola while Buck and I dropped inside to be distraction and infiltration. We fought a few HYDRA soldiers with their specialized cannons, and things went downhill pretty fast from there. That was pretty much as far as our strategy went as planned."

"Who planned this mission?"

"I did."

"How long did you have to plan?"

"With the travel, scouting, and preparation, about a few weeks or so once we had our location for boarding."

"And you didn't think to plan for the weapons HYDRA had, these 'cannons'?"

"We didn't know how many soldiers were on the train for sure." Steve explained, "We didn't know what they'd be equipped with either. I trusted my Commandos with my life, Bucky most of all. We were all pretty good at improvising, too."

"So you felt prepared for the mission?"

Steve hesitated, "As prepared as anyone can be when there were so many variables. It was war. Pretty much anything could happen when it came to HYDRA."

"After the defendant fell from the train, why didn't you go find his body after you returned to base?"

"We returned from the train to report in hours later." The Captain stated, "We were in the Alps in January. There were miles of tracks that we'd have to cover, and we didn't have the manpower or the resources to find him." He paused, "I wish I'd listened to Diana, though. She wanted to go out and find him, even without SSR help. I don't know what her plan was, but I convinced her not to go through with it because I didn't want to lose anyone else. And Colonel Phillips never would've let us leave anyway. We would essentially have been abandoning our posts. Desertion."

"Alright. On to the Triskelion incident. When did you find out that the Winter Soldier was your former friend James Barnes?"

Steve's eyes narrowed, "He's still my friend. No 'former' about it."

"I'll rephrase: when did you find out that the Winter Soldier was your _friend_ James Barnes?"

"Natasha, Diana, Sam Wilson, and I were driving Agent Jasper Sitwell, whom we figured out was HYDRA, to the Triskelion building when the Winter Soldier attacked us on the highway. We fought and his face mask got knocked off. That's when I realized that the Winter Soldier was Bucky."

"And how did you feel? Betrayed, I suppose?"

"Objection!" Foggy stood up, "Leading the witness!"

"I'll rephrase." Mr. VanderKampen said, "Mr. Rogers, how did you feel when you discovered that the Winter Soldier, who had just killed the Director of SHIELD, Nicolas J. Fury, was, in fact, your friend James Barnes?"

"I was shocked. I didn't know that he'd…" Steve paused, his expression twisted with a mix of grief and guilt, "It was devastating, seeing him like that and having him not recognize me or even his own name."

"How do you know he wasn't faking it?" Mr. VanderKampen asked.

"Bucky's always had an expressive face and eyes. It's something the girls always commented on. Buck's also never been a good actor or liar, at least not to me." Steve explained, "And when he looked at me that day, there was nothing. Everything about him was blank with maybe a few flickers of confusion that caused him to hesitate in the mission HYDRA had given him."

Mr. VanderKampen frowned, "When do you think the Winter Soldier recognized you?"

"I don't think he really remembered me until we were fighting on the helicarrier, right before I plunged into the Potomac River. I saw the recognition in his eyes before I passed out."

The Prosecution was getting nowhere. Diana could see what they were trying to suggest - incompetency by Bucky's superiors, negligence in the retrieval of a fallen soldier, hinting that maybe Bucky had been HYDRA all along and that his memories had never been erased. None of those tactics had worked (probably because Steve saw right through them).

Mr. VanderKampen sighed, "No more questions."

Matt called for a recess to prepare a witness, which the judge granted. As Matt passed where she was sitting and Bucky was led into a separate waiting room, the lawyer tapped in front of her and muttered, "Follow us."

Foggy and Matt met with Diana in a side room. She gave a sigh, "I bet you're going to need me to testify, right?"

"Yeah." Matt replied.

"Okay, I don't get it." Foggy said, "How were you present in World War II and still here not looking ninety years old? Does it have something to do with your magic?"

"Well, yes and no." Diana shifted, "My life up until five years ago was really ordinary. I was studying for med school in college, and I fell asleep at my desk while writing a term paper - you know what that's like. Then… Poof! I'm in France in 1944."

"You time travelled?!"

"Not just that. I hopped universes."

"Bw... What?" Foggy looked flabbergasted.

"Foggy, only a few people in the world actually know where I'm from." Diana told him, "Steve knows. Bucky knows. Peggy Carter knows. Tony knows a bit. And Nick Fury knows - knew. Those're pretty much the only people who know that I'm from a different universe." She left out Matt because then she'd have to explain why she had told him and not Foggy.

"Okay, so… what's that mean?" Foggy asked, "I mean… how is it possible?"

"I don't know. I have suspicions on who could be powerful enough to pull from other realities, but I can't confirm."

"You're serious? You're not playing a joke on me?"

"Foggy, I don't think she's lying." Matt told his best friend. The blonde lawyer knew his best friend had a sixth sense about lying; it's what made Matt a good lawyer.

Foggy frowned, "You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

The heavy set lawyer blinked, "Wow… I mean... " Then his eyes brightened, "What's the other universe like? Are we around? What am I saying, you probably never met us. We're probably just nobodies that -"

"I've never met you guys, but not because you're nobodies." She told Foggy with a smile.

"Are we big shot lawyers then? That would be awesome!"

"Actually, Matt's English. And he can see." Diana replied, "He's an actor."

"An actor? Am I an actor? Who else do we know that's an actor where you're from?" Foggy looked a bit eager.

Her smile widened, "Yes, Foggy, you're an actor. You're probably most famous for being one of the _Mighty Ducks_ from that Disney movie trilogy with Emilio Estevez. It exists here, but your part was recast with Sean Astin."

The blonde lawyer was gobsmacked, "Are you serious? Those movies were my favorites when I was a kid!"

"Foggy, we need to prepare Diana for her testimony. We don't want her to commit perjury if anyone ever finds out about this." Matt told him, although he was trying to hide an amused smile.

"Right, right, but aren't you the least bit fascinated?" Foggy asked, "She just proved multiverse theory! There are other universes, Matty! Why aren't you more interested?"

"I am, but we really can't take too much time for this recess. We need to prepare Diana for questioning."

"Okay, okay. We'll continue this conversation later."

"That's fine." Diana told him, "Although I prefer to play my origins pretty close to the chest. If HYDRA or anyone else with evil intentions ever found out about where I'm from… well, I don't need to tell you how disastrous that would be."

Foggy took a breath, "So, maybe we leave the alternate universe thing out of it completely and just go with time travel. Something sent you back in time."

"They'll probably ask how I'm not ninety years old, so I might as well mention that I knew about magic from my timeline and was able to find the sorcerers and have them put me in a magical stasis."

"Good enough." Matt nodded, "We should run through what we're going to ask and try to prepare for what the Prosecution might try to dig up."

*FMttM*

Matt stood at the front of the courtroom with both his hands on his cane, "I call Diana Larson to the stand."

As Diana stood, she glanced toward Bucky, who met her gaze looking apologetic for putting her in that position.

"Please hold up your right hand and answer the following question truthfully." The clerk said to her when she reached the stair to the witness stand, "Do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"

"I do." Diana answered and the clerk stepped back to allow her access to the witness stand. She climbed the couple stairs and sat in the uncomfortable seat.

Matt turned to her, "How did you first meet Captain America and his Howling Commandos?"

"The Commandos found me in the snow in France as they were returning from a mission. I woke up in one of their barracks buildings. Colonel Chester Phillips interrogated me about why I was there."

"And why were you there?"

"I don't know how I got to France. I was unconscious when they brought me in, and they didn't know how long I'd been knocked out for. I don't even know how long I was knocked out for!"

"Captain Rogers said you became the SSR's secondary medic. Is this true?"

"Yes."

"Who did you treat and for what wounds?"

"I did mostly shrapnel removal, stitching, and setting bones for the SSR soldiers and the Commandos." Diana explained.

"Was Sergeant Barnes ever one of your patients?"

"Yes. He had a gut shot as well as bullet lacerations to the leg and shoulder after a mission. I removed the offending object in his stomach and stitched up his wounds."

"And what was he like during this time?"

"Unconscious most of the time." She smirked a little. The jury laughed a little, "Sorry, couldn't help it. Once the Sergeant awoke, he was grateful. I knocked him out again with some medications once I got him to admit he was in pain. Colonel Phillips did pull him to temporary off duty to train me to shoot their military firearms, though. My Colt is actually at the Smithsonian, un-labelled by the way, but that's not unexpected. Anyway, Sergeant Barnes wasn't happy about being taken off the front lines while he was healing. He was worried about Captain Rogers's welfare because of his history of getting into trouble. He'd wanted to immediately go back out onto the front lines to keep his friend safe. Still, the Colonel ordered him to train me, and he was actually a good teacher."

"Prior to his fall from the train in Austria, how did Sergeant Barnes act towards you?" Matt asked.

"Well, like Steve said, he was flirty, but respectful. We actually got to know each other a bit on the drive from France to Belgium and then while he was training me. He even asked me out dancing on our next official furlough." She answered, "We never did get to do that, though. Still, even in the end, he was polite, funny, compassionate, loyal. He still is. We actually talked a lot about home before the big mission to capture Zola. When he didn't come back, it was devastating. It's why I sought out the sorcerers to see if they could help me, and as you can see, they did because here I am; so's the Captain, and so's Sergeant Barnes."

"Since you've brought us up to present day, we'll skip to more recent events." Matt continued, "Since the Triskelion incident, you have been in contact with the Winter Soldier while he was under HYDRA control and after he broke free. What differences, if any, have you noticed between the Winter Soldier and Sergeant Barnes from before his fall from the train?"

"Well, of course there's a difference." Diana replied, "Bucky's a lot more quiet now whereas before he was a more outgoing and flirty. He smiled a lot more before too, although I'm sure Steve and I and the other Avengers can get him to do that again if everything works out." She thought for a moment, "He has a much wider skill set, of course, because of the training HYDRA forced him to go through, and he speaks more languages than he did before. Everything he does is more calculated and intense," She thought about how he was during the third _Captain America_ movie, "but he's more careful with how he uses his strength and skills."

"Do you think he's a danger to society?" Matt asked.

"I might be a little biased." She gave him a sheepish smile, "Still, Bucky Barnes is only dangerous if you get on his bad side or if someone like Denisov gives the reset codes. It's something we're working on - the Avengers, I mean."

"I see. Thank you. No more questions."

As Matt sat back in his chair, Mr. Ellison stood, "Miss Larson, your story seems a bit fantastical. How exactly did you get to France in the middle of winter during World War II?"

"I don't actually know." She said, "I thought I was going crazy or in a dream for a while."

"That doesn't answer my question. According to documentation, you were found not far from a HYDRA base clad in clothes unfit for winter. So, I ask again, how did you get there? Were you a HYDRA prisoner? Or are you actually HYDRA?"

"Objection! Badgering the witness!" Matt called out.

"Sustained. Please refrain from asking too many questions in a row, Mr. Ellison." The judge sent a look of displeasure at the prosecution table.

"I apologize." Mr. Ellison said, and glared shrewdly at Diana, "HYDRA is known to create sleeper agents -"

Diana cut him off, "I am not affiliated with that damned Nazi organization!" She growled, "I'd rather die."

"Then, I repeat, how did you get to France?" Mr. Ellison asked.

"I told you, I don't know. I have theories, but no one would ever believe them because what I know and what you know about the universe are extremely different." Her hands clamped around the arms of the charm, her knuckles turning white, "And my knowledge is classified to the point where nothing about me was even written down. Colonel Phillips, Peggy Carter, Steve Rogers, and Bucky Barnes were the only ones who knew back then, and I know they didn't tell anyone."

"Are you sure?" Mr. Ellison mocked, "The Winter Soldier could've easily told HYDRA all about your mysterious appearance."

"I'm still alive," Diana pointed out, "and HYDRA never viewed me as a threat - my SHIELD profile didn't have a high threat level, and the Winter Soldier didn't take me seriously until I demonstrated that I was, in fact, a good fighter who could pack a punch."

"Very well. What is _your_ theory on how you managed to get to a war zone in France in 1944?"

Diana sighed, "You know that I learned magic, and through my meditations, I've been able to give my appearance in France a lot of thought and reflection. There are entities out there that watch over the various inhabited planets of the universe; they call themselves the Watchers. They do just that - watch… and record. The Watcher of this planet I believe is called Uatu. He usually takes the form of an elderly, mustachioed man with tinted glasses. I've taken to calling him 'Stan Lee.'" She paused and a sad smile flitted across her face, "Still the Watchers don't usually have the kind of power that brought me here. I'd probably look to the entities called Eternity or Infinity or one of its brethren. I haven't seen or met anyone like Eternity, but I'm pretty sure they exist."

"What you're saying sounds ludicrous." Mr. Ellison said, "Perhaps your time in Belgium has addled your mind."

"What did you say?" Diana's eyes focused on the prosecution lawyer. He paused and paled a little. Diana's gaze hardened, "How do you even know about that?"

"I -" A light sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead, "I'm the one asking questions here."

"No," Diana was standing from the chair, Eldritch magic sparking at her fingers, "I'm not answering any more of your questions when you know something that you shouldn't. My travels with Steve and Bucky were never recorded. Our phones' trackers weren't even on! Who are you?! Who do you work for?!"

Mr. Ellison blanched and backed up a few steps, away from the angered sorceress, "I - I… Your Honor, I call for a recess."

"Now I recognize you." Bucky's soft voice echoed in the courtroom, "You're HYDRA. You were on Pierce's payroll, one of his personal lawyers. I've seen you before, although it was a decade or so ago." The Soldier's blue gaze was flinty and cold, "You haven't aged well."

Suddenly, chaos erupted in the courtroom, and Mr. Ellison jumped the barrier and made a run for the door. Suddenly his back arched, and he let out a short-lived shriek before collapsing into a heap on the floor. Everyone froze.

Black Widow had stood up from her seat in the back of the courtroom, a scowl on her red lips. She'd sent one of her Widow Bites at Mr. Ellison. Natasha looked up at the Judge, "I think we should probably arrest this man."

The recess was granted as the unconscious Mr. Ellison was cuffed and taken away.

 ***FMttM***

 **Aoi Dragon: Okay, so** ** _that_** **just happened. I hadn't planned for Mr. Ellison to be HYDRA, but as I was writing, his character insisted on mentioning Belgium. I got writer's block after he mentioned it to Diana, and I had to think long and hard about** **why** **he would know about that incident. Then it hit me: HYDRA... he was HYDRA! And I gawked at my story for a few moment before writing down the fact that Mr. Ellison was affiliated with HYDRA. This also explains how the prosecution was able to find Mr. Denisov. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter! Please R &R!**


	22. The Trial - Part 3

**Aoi Dragon: Just a warning for those who either have vivid imaginations or are triggered by implied violent acts this chapter contains the "videos" mentioned in Part 1 of the Trial. I don't go into a lot of detail-I really wasn't in the mood to write that kind of stuff-so it should be okay.**

 **Also, look for references. I love referencing stuff from the MCU and from other fandoms too. You've probably noticed that in previous chapters.**

 **Anyway, enjoy and review!**

*FMttM*

The trial didn't start again until the next day. Mr. VanderKampen looked worn when he entered the courtroom with a stern Asian woman beside him. He stood before the Judge, "Let the record show that Mr. Peter W. Ellison has been replaced by Miss Sara D. Kurotori."

"Does the Prosecution have anymore questions for the witness, Miss Diana Larson?" The Judge asked.

Miss Kurotori answered, "None that are relevant to this case, Your Honor."

"Very well. Defense, your next piece of evidence, if you please."

"Thank you, Your Honor." Foggy stood and motioned for the clerk to bring in a large, flat screen television. He turned to the jury, "What you're about to see will shock you, perhaps disgust you, but it is this irrefutable evidence of the torture - mental, physical, and emotional - that will show exactly what my client went through as a prisoner of HYDRA. We'll start with the photographs." Foggy made a motion and the clerk showed the first two photos of Bucky from two different angles.

They were dated April of 1945, a few months after Bucky fell from the train. In the photo on the left, he sat in the corner of a cell, staring wide-eyed at something below the camera. He still had his Commandos coat on, and he had his only hand out as if to ward off whatever was below the camera.

The photo on the right had Bucky with his back turned to the camera and his arm and stump raised above his head. The shreds of the left sleeve stuck to the end of the stump and, if one looked closely at the photo, the wings symbolizing Captain America were visible, if ripped into three segments. The white of the wing was darker than normal in the photo, indicating the blood that had soaked through his shirt and coat.

The next photo was larger and had some handwritten notes in Russian cyrillic on it. It was a photo of a mangled shoulder and upper arm. Despite the black and white nature of the photos, the puckered flesh looked quite angry and maybe even infected.

Foggy stepped forward, "The Russian notes say the following, 'Asset wound before surgery.'" The blonde then made a motion and the clerk showed the next picture, "'Asset wound after surgery.' The final line on the second photo reads, 'Viable for replacement.'"

This photo showed a raw wound with a little blood pooling around it. The bone stuck out from the flesh, indicating that the doctors had cut or sawed off all the infected skin.

"Now, there are numerous other photos that could easily illustrate what my client went through, but the video recordings show so much more." Foggy addressed the jury, "This first video is silent security footage from 1946, about a year after the photographs. With the help of some lip-reading software provided by Stark Industries, subtitles have been added for whenever someone speaks. Be warned; some of the recordings are fairly graphic."

The footage from 1946 was grainy, but it showed a figure huddled in the corner of a cell. His matted hair nearly reached his shoulders, and he had a full beard. His left arm was wrapped in grayish bandages. He raised his head to glare at the camera, his pale eyes blazing with hate. Bucky Barnes raised his only arm and hand and flipped the camera off. His lips moved and the subtitles came up as, "Fuck you, assholes."

"The next recordings skip to 1947, after Arnim Zola took over the Soviet fortress." Foggy informed him, "Records from HYDRA show that between 1946 and 1947 the Soviets stored Sergeant Barnes in a rudimentary cryochamber." The blonde lawyer made a hand motion and the clerk moved to play the recording.

The image flickered and changed to a different camera and the time/date stamp indicated it was 1947. This camera was pointed toward the top of a surgery table where Bucky lay, unconscious and clean shaven, but still with his long hair. He was without a shirt and his left arm was still missing. The upper arm stump was still a messy looking and badly healed wound; the scarring was heavy around the end of the stump. White-gloved hands and the profiles of heads came into view. The camera caught a view of white masks over the men's mouths, and the jury could identify them as surgeons.

The first surgeon to come fully into view with a tool had a bone saw. He cut into what was left of the upper arm at the shoulder. The stump eventually came away from the shoulder and was discarded out of camera view.. The new stump was cauterized rather than bandaged as another surgeon took a tool and began to drill shiny objects into several locations on the left shoulder.

After cleaning the table of blood, another surgeon intricate metal bars in the exact imitation of bones while another lay wires for nerves so that they would match the length of Bucky's right arm. The second surgeon spread the wires at the bottom to make them look like an imitation of a hand and wrapped them around the various metal finger bones. A cushioning material was placed in all of the joint areas except the shoulder where cartilage would be in a normal arm.

Then a surgeon blocked the view of the arm from the camera for a while, and the recording fast forwarded about eight hours, periodically dosing Bucky with what could be assumed to be sedatives. The surgeons swayed as they worked, but the view of the arm stayed obstructed.

When the surgeon blocking the procedure finally moved out of the way of the camera, about twelve hours into the recording, the arm, which was attached to Bucky's shoulder, was covered in a dark, tight material that made it look like Bucky was wearing a black glove the length of his arm. Slowly, starting with the fingers, the surgeons began to attach the vibranium plates to the material. The recording fast forwarded another six hours, but the footage was unobstructed as the bionic metal arm took form.

Toward the end, as the final plates were being put in at the shoulder, Bucky began to stir. His expression scrunched in pain before his mouth opened in a silent scream, his back arching off the surgery table. A surgeon came forward with a syringe and gave him a dose of something, probably a sedative. It knocked him out again and his head lolled to the right.

More time passed as Bucky lay unconscious on the table. One of the surgeons moved the camera to better record the surgeons as they finished their work at the scarred and probably angry red and bloody shoulder. Then a new, unmasked person came into view. At the turn of his head, everyone could tell that it was Arnim Zola. He leaned over the surgery table, reaching out to Bucky, "Sergeant Barnes." The subtitles said. Bucky stirred and his eyes fluttered opened. He raised both hands. It was difficult to tell his expression from the grainy picture, "The procedure has already started. You are to be the new Fist of HYDRA."

Bucky's lips moved, "No…" Zola turned to one of the doctors, who came forward with another syringe. Bucky's metal left hand shot out and gripped the surgeon's neck. The HYDRA doctor screamed and the syringe dropped to the table and the surgeon collapsed to the floor. Instantly there were other surgeons there to hold Bucky down as he fought his captors. Various swear words were subtitled on the screen as Bucky's lips were the only ones the camera could read. However, eventually a surgeon managed to insert the syringe into Bucky's neck, and he went limp a second later.

"Put him on ice." Zola ordered and Bucky's eyes closed.

The recording went black.

*FMttM*

"The next series of recordings are from 1950 to 1953." Foggy told the jury, "This is where the recordings begin to have rudimentary sound. The conditioning begins." He motioned to the clerk to play the recording.

On the screen appeared the time and date - 6:32:04, 13/02/49. Two soldiers brought in a stumbling, nearly naked Bucky and forced him to sit in a chair with various machine attachments. Zola appeared on screen with a book in hand. The soldiers forced Bucky into the chair. His eyes were half closed, and he looked completely out of it.

The soldiers fastened several metal clamps around Bucky's right and left arms, upper and lower parts, and then around both legs. Zola leaned over him, "Let the reprogramming begin, Sergeant Barnes. As soon as you are fully awake, we can begin. I want to know what's important to you so I can take it from you and make you mine."

Bucky only blinked and his biceps flexed against the clamps. Then he said, "They'll come for me. You'll see. They know I'm not dead, so they'll come for me."

"No one is coming for you, Sergeant Barnes." Zola said, "but keep thinking that. It'll be so much better to rip that hope away from you." He lowered two machine parts onto Bucky's head. One covered his left eye and the other clamped down on the right side of his head.

"No…" The Sergeant moaned and strained against the clamps around his arms and legs. Then he was screaming, the sound echoing through the courtroom with his pain. The electrocution stopped for a moment and Bucky's voice became monotone, "Sergeant… 32557038… Barnes, James Buchanan…" Zola raised his hand to a button, "No, no, please…" Bucky screamed again as electrocution seared through his body from the machine. He repeated his rank, serial number, and name only to be electrocuted again.

This continued for hours - which had been sped up. Eventually, the recording ended with the order to put the Asset in cryosleep.

The next recording was dated nine months later. After a few electrocutions, Bucky's usual rank, serial number, and name changed. "Please, stop. Let me see Steve." His voice cracked, "I just want to see my best friend… one last time… Please…"

"I am sorry to tell you that Captain Rogers is no longer with us." Zola told Bucky before electrocuting him again.

"Please…. Steve… he…. Can't be dead." The Sergeant mourned, "Let me see Steve. He can't be dead. He just can't..."

"Your friend, Soldat, is dead. He has been dead for quite some time. Therefore you cannot see him. He's not coming to save you."

"No. You're wrong." Bucky grit out. Then Zola electrocuted him again and screams, sounding a lot like 'No!' echoed in the courtroom once again.

The recording ended when Zola ordered him put on ice.

Another recording soon followed. It was dated 1953. Bucky sat in the chair again with no expression on his face, but his eyes glared into the camera.

"Well, Soldat, we have made quite a lot of progress in your realignment." Zola told him. Bucky didn't even twitch, "Yet you still cling to some of your memories. Your name, forgotten. Your family, unimportant. Your time in the American army, irrelevant. Still, you cling to Captain Rogers." The madman placed the two pieces of the machine back on Bucky's head, "Let's see if we can do something about that, ya?"

Bucky's eyes shifted to Zola, enraged, "I won't forget them."

"We shall see." Then the electric current began and the Sergeant screamed.

When Zola stopped, Bucky's head leaned forward against the eyepiece, "Captain… Steven Grant... Rogers... I'm with him to the end of the line." Another electrocution. Then, "Nurse… Diana Larson… she… I have to find her."

"Hmmm… That's a one's new." Zola looked shrewdly at Bucky, "Perhaps we should work on erasing that link before the Captain's."

Bucky's eyes widened, "No... NO!" He strained against the clamps. The ones on his left screeched, but didn't break.

Zola looked smug, "It seems I've hit a nerve. Concentrate on this… Diana Larson. For she and your dear Captain will be your undoing."

"No!" Bucky's denial turned into a scream as Zola electrocuted him once again. It stopped once more and Bucky whimpered, "Diana… Diana… Please… Diana… I should've… listened... Shouldn't've gone… I'm sorry… Diana. Steve. I shouldn't've gone. I'm sorry."

"No more of that." Zola electrocuted him again.

Screams.

*FMttM*

Foggy decided that after those recordings, the jury might want to have a break from watching a man being tortured and so called for a recess. Upon returning in the afternoon, Foggy continued with the video recordings.

"This next set of recordings takes a look at the training Sergeant Barnes received for the Winter Soldier program. Although it's clear he was trained in weapons, including firearms, the recordings focus on hand-to-hand combat." He motioned to the clerk to begin the first recording, "Soldiers during World War II were trained in hand-to-hand, specifically judo and some other martial arts. However, HYDRA enhanced the training to the point of barbarity. They also added the Russian martial art Systema to the regimen."

The time/date stamp showed it was 1956. The Soldier sat completely still, his face devoid of expression; his eyes dulled and downcast. A HYDRA soldier spoke to him in Russian (subtitles were provided), and when the Winter Soldier didn't respond, he was promptly slapped. The Soldier didn't react, didn't rise to the bait as the HYDRA soldier continued to insult him.

After being slapped and punched in the face several times, a voice off-screen said in Russian, "bor'ba." (Fight.)

The Soldier's pale eyes blinked as the HYDRA soldier came in for another punch, and his metal arm came up to catch the fist. The Soldier's eyes narrowed and the HYDRA soldier cried out, probably because the metal hand crushed his fist. The Soldier raised his right hand to attack when...

"prekrashcheniye." (Cease.)

The Soldier dropped the HYDRA soldier's hand and sat motionless again. The latter man held onto his hand and took a few steps backward.

The voice off screen then said, "stoyat'." (Stand.) The Soldier obeyed and the voice came into frame - a HYDRA officer. He circled the Soldier once before looking off to the right. Two casually dressed men came into frame. One had a knife, the other brass knuckles. Then the officer looked to the Soldier, "Ubey ikh." (Kill them.) Before exiting the frame.

As the fight began, it was obvious that the two HYDRA men had more hand-to-hand training than Bucky had in the back alleys of Brooklyn or during boot camp. They beat him, avoiding the metal arm, which the Soldier used clumsily as he was still not used to the bizarre weight of it. However, the Soldier had the stamina and constitution to outlast the two HYDRA men and, as they were starting to tire, struck back with the full force of a blizzard, a flurry of blows which knocked the HYDRA men back. When they were down, the Soldier snapped both their necks. Mission complete.

The recording ended.

There were a series of clips from 1956-1960 showing the Soldier learning to fight, and getting viciously beaten if he deviated from the skirmishes or tried to retreat. Once he could easily defeat two opponents, the number slowly increased until the HYDRA men surrounded the Soldier and were promptly put down. Then, during the final clip in the series, the lights turned off and the camera used night vision to record the fight. The Soldier had no problems killing twenty HYDRA men with ease, confiscating any weapons and using them against his targets.

He stood there, surrounded by bodies, a knife in each hand, bloodied. He blinked down at the knives, then at the bodies, and a whisper of horror came into his expression.

"S chistogo lista.." (Clean slate.) The voice of the HYDRA officer came from off screen. Some doctors in lab coats approached the Winter Soldier.

He tensed, and as soon as they laid hands on him, he flung them across the room. A few gunshots rang out, but the Soldier simply blocked them with his metal arm. He suddenly paused, a dark mark appeared on his neck, a dart. Then he collapsed.

The recording ended there.

There were several other short videos which coincided with the 1957-1961 training that catalogued how HYDRA prepped the Winter Soldier before and after a training session. It took two hours to unfreeze the Soldier after cryo. The Soldier was wiped - eventually there was a mouth guard between his teeth. Whether to guard his mouth from injury or to briefly muffle the screams, it appeared in the clips from the late fifties. After the wipe, the Soldier had a harsh hose shower before being wrapped in the straight-jacket-like tactical gear, including mask and goggles. He would then have his metal tested against various HYDRA agents on varying terrains with few to numerous weapons. After training missions, the Soldier was showered and wiped again before HYDRA returned their Asset to the cryotube.

*FMttM*

Foggy faced the jury, "There are, of course, many more recordings cataloguing the training and torture of Sergeant Barnes during the Winter Soldier program, but they are all similar in nature. The recordings shown for this case are just the tip of the iceberg. The entire catalogue has been provided should the jury wish to view other incidences of Sergeant Barnes' experience with HYDRA."

The blonde lawyer returned to his seat, and Matt stood, "I call James Buchanan Barnes to the stand."

Bucky stood carefully, the chains around his ankles dragged a little against the floor as he made his way to the stand. He raised his right hand, the cuff and chain only allowing it a little ways away from his chest, and was sworn in by the clerk. He then took his seat on the witness stand.

Matt stood at his table and looked toward his client, "You are Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, correct?"

"Yes. I am." Bucky replied softly, "But my friends call me Bucky."

"Sergeant Barnes, it's my understanding that while under HYDRA control, you had no memory of who you were. Is that correct?"

"Yes. That… machine…" Bucky shuddered a little, "It took away everything."

"Do you have your memories back now?" Matt asked.

The Soldier paused, "Not all of them. It's only been a few months since they last wiped me. It's been hard trying to get them back."

"And when was the last time HYDRA erased your memories?"

"During the Triskelion incident, after I first fought Steve on the highway bridge."

"And why did HYDRA want to erase your memories then?"

"I… I was starting to remember." Bucky told his lawyer, "I hesitated in my mission to kill Captain America after he called me by my name. Pierce didn't like that, especially when I dared to make eye contact with one of my superiors."

"Pierce?"

"Alexander Pierce, the head of HYDRA. My -" Bucky paused, frowning for a moment before he continued, "He was the last person to use the reset words; so he was my handler."

"How long were you under Mr. Pierce's control?"

"I don't know." The Soldier answered, "It's hard to pinpoint time when I only have fragments of the memories and long periods of cryosleep. Sometimes I feel like it's only been a couple years since that train in Austria. Sometimes it feels like several lifetimes."

"A guess?"

Bucky thought, his brows furrowing, "Maybe… ten years? Twenty at the most."

"I see. What did Mr. Pierce have you do?"

"He only took me out of cryo a few times. I never knew the dates. It was ingrained in my training to never ask questions." Bucky replied, "Pierce only unfroze me if he needed a clean assassination or if he wanted someone to have an 'accident.'"

"So you were never a part of the planning process?"

Bucky scowled, "Do you discuss your plans to murder people with your gun? Or your knife? I was a thing to them. An asset. A living weapon. Nothing more. They didn't need me to know why. They just wanted me to do it."

"How many of the assassinations do you remember?" Matt asked carefully.

The Soldier bowed his head, "Most of the ones that are recorded in the files Miss Romanoff put on the… um... Internet? And there were others that were off the books."

"Such as?"

"HYDRA wanted to take over a particular region of Africa. I don't know where." Bucky replied, "There was a warlord there who ruled over the people. I was tasked with assassinating him."

Matt's head tilted to the side, "What happened?"

"Objection!" Ms. Kurotori stood, "Relevance?"

"An illustration of the lengths of deception HYDRA went to in order to keep the Winter Soldier in their control." Matt argued back.

"Overruled. I'll allow it for now." The judge said.

The blind lawyer turned back to Bucky, "What happened in Africa?"

The Soldier frowned, his eyes became unfocused, "The warlord fought back. He sent his soldiers; they weren't well trained and easily taken out. Then he came by himself, which was a little shocking, now that I look back at the mission. He was a good fighter, a great fighter. He nearly killed me." His brows twitched, "I remember him raising his hand," Bucky did so, although the movement was hampered by the chain attached to the belt around his chest, his palm out, "and clenching it." He echoed the motion, "There was a chest mal -" The Soldier shook his head and put his hand to his heart, clutching the fabric of the clothes he wore, "Something happened. I don't know what it was, but it felt like someone had reached into my chest and was squeezing my lungs and heart. Of course, I'd been extensively trained to ignore that kind of pain. The mission was everything. So I killed him, crushing his neck with my metal hand."

"What happened afterwards?"

"I don't know. As soon as I returned to HYDRA and gave my report, they put me back in cryo." Bucky answered, "That Africa assassination isn't in the records, and HYDRA doesn't have a base there now. I don't know what happened afterwards, but it's strange that they'd just give up on that base."

"In cases like these, did HYDRA ever allow you to refuse a mission?"

"There was no such thing as refusal for me - for the Winter Soldier." Bucky replied, "There were times in the very beginning where I hesitated. I was severely punished for even thinking of disobeying."

"You never had your own agency on your missions?"

"No. HYDRA always had an agent close by to bring me in if I showed any deviation from the mission."

"You couldn't ask questions?"

"A gun doesn't ask why you want to shoot someone. It just shoots." Bucky replied, "If I questioned, I was punished. If I hesitated, I was punished. If I deviated from my mission even a little bit, I was punished."

"So the times when you spared people, you were punished?"

"Yes."

"What were the punishments?" Matt asked.

"The doctors gave me something to make me weaker and compliant for a while. They'd also deactivate my metal arm before binding it to my body. Then as many as ten HYDRA soldiers would discipline me in various ways from beatings to…" He grimaced, "to…" He looked away then.

"To?" Matt asked gently.

"I think it's called sodomy." Bucky's jaw twitched, "They'd wipe my memory afterwards, but the effects of the discipline always remained. It's like they could pick and choose what to erase from my mind."

"What did they allow you to keep?"

"Combat skills and languages. Somewhere in there were the memories of the discipline." Bucky replied, "Never anything personal. They made doubly sure of that by wiping my memory again after coming out of cryosleep just in case my dreams stayed with me."

"After leaving HYDRA, where did you go?"

"Steve said something." Bucky said, "It resonated with me and memories flashed through my mind." He looked to Steve, "I'm with you to the end of the line, pal." Steve grinned back at his best friend. Bucky's gaze turned back to Matt, "I started to remember again. I vaguely knew who he was - Captain America, someone to protect, not kill as HYDRA wanted. Beyond that, nothing. So, the best place to find out about Captain America was at the Smithsonian. That's where I found my past, even though I didn't remember it."

"Where were you planning to go after that?" Matt asked.

"I wanted to get away. To go someplace where I couldn't hurt anyone ever again." Bucky said, "I was thinking Romania."

"That's an odd choice." Matt pointed out.

Bucky gave a small smile, "Not from where I'm sitting. Although I didn't know it then, I know exactly why Romania was my top choice of hiding place now. Still, it didn't matter where I went, though. I knew that Steve and Diana would find me sooner or later. It was better that they found me sooner. They helped me. I got more of my good memories back first before the HYDRA missions came back."

"Have you seen anyone? A doctor or therapist?"

"No. There wasn't time before the trial."

"Thank you, Sergeant Barnes." Matt told him and returned to his seat as he said, "Your witness."

Miss Kurotori stood and strode in front of the witness stand, "Winter Soldier," she addressed him and he winced, "is it true that you have murdered at least a dozen people over the last fifty years?"

"Yes."

"And you never stopped to think 'this is wrong?'"

"I did once, on my first mission, try to question." Bucky admitted, "I was severely punished for it. They kept me in pain for hours after the beating before the doctors insisted on working on my injuries."

"I see. So you never fought back against your captors?"

"No."

"Why? They'd basically made you into a super soldier with a bionic arm! What was stopping you from breaking away from them?"

"There were specific codes, words that HYDRA could use, that prevented me from leaving. They could incapacitate me with a word, and then when we returned to base, I'd be punished."

"Convenient."

"For them, yeah. Not for me. Sometimes I didn't understand why I was being punished. Just that I did something they didn't like and had to be punished for it." Bucky shot back, his blue eyes flinty.

"You said you remember the assassinations we have on file. Do you even feel guilty about all of the innocent people you've murdered?"

"Of course I do!" The Soldier's expression twisted with agony, "I'll have to carry that guilt with me for the rest of my life!"

"So you admit to murdering all of the people from the declassified HYDRA files." Miss Kurotori looked triumphant.

"My hands committed those murders. I shot, strangled, killed those people under HYDRA's orders."

"Thank you. You've just won my case for me." Miss Kurotori smirked and returned to her seat.

Matt stood, "Redirect, Your Honor." He approached the witness stand, "Sergeant Barnes, were you in possession of all of your faculties during these assassinations you have just admitted to?"

"I'm not sure I understand." Bucky frowned.

"That is to say - were you aware that what you were doing was wrong?"

"No. I only ever knew my mission objective that must be completed or risk punishment."

"And to reiterate one of my initial questions: were you allowed to refuse a mission?"

"No."

"If you had no choice, why do you feel at fault for those deaths?"

"HYDRA used my hands. They used my eyes, my arms, my legs. I was their puppet." Bucky replied, "But it was still me. I may not have been conscious of myself, but I was there in some sense, buried beneath all of the programming, watching everything unfold and unable to do anything about it."

"So do you feel guilty about killing or about being used to kill?"

"Both. I can't bring back those who've died. I'm so very sorry I had a part in their deaths." He bowed his head slightly, "I hope that it's possible for me to find redemption with the Avengers, but I will accept whatever punishment this court and jury decides on. It's no less than what I deserve for everything I've done."

Matt stood there, silent for a moment, before nodding, "Thank you, Sergeant Barnes. You may step down. Defense rests."

Bucky made his way back to his seat beside Foggy. Once he sat down, Diana reached over the barrier and touched his shoulder, "Everything's going to be okay, Buck. You did fine up there."

"I admitted guilt." He murmured, "The case is already decided."

"Maybe. Maybe not." She told him, "I have faith that these people will see what HYDRA did to you and realize that you are innocent."

Bucky turned his head so he could look at her. He gave her a small smile and reached up with his hand to give hers a squeeze, "Thanks, dollface."

*FMttM*

Because it was toward the end of the day, and the recordings had been very draining on an emotional level, the judge called for a recess until the next day to give everyone time to rest and recover before the closing arguments.

Miss Kurotori stood before the jury, "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, for seventy years the Winter Soldier murdered innocents. From civilians just trying to live their lives, like Howard Stark, to the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. The targets were indiscriminate among age, gender and race. The defendant says that it was programming, that there were words that would force his actions, that HYDRA rid him of his conscience so they could order him to kill. If he was under their complete control, how do you explain the survivors?" She scoffed, "Why couldn't he have seen Steve Rogers in his targets? Or Diana Larson? If he was under HYDRA's complete control, there would never have been witnesses to the assassinations; the Winter Soldier would have killed them as his mission most likely demanded. This points to only one thing: James Barnes was completely aware of what he was doing. He is a murderer, and he is guilty. If you agree and want justice for all the Winter Soldier's victims, return with that verdict. Thank you."

Foggy stood to give his closing argument, "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes was the longest serving Prisoner of War in United States history. We were betrayed by our allies and betrayed by one of our own government workers when they did not return Sergeant Barnes to his homeland. He was tortured until his mind broke under the electrocution. He was humiliated in every way possible. He held out for months, years, surviving being put under cryogenesis. HYDRA erased everything that made Sergeant Barnes a person; they took away everything that made him human by making sure he couldn't remember what it was like to be human. His name was lost to anyone who cared to know it, including himself. HYDRA referred to him as 'Soldier', 'Asset', and 'it' denoting him as an object and not a living, breathing human being. No one should have to go through that. No one. Sergeant Barnes had no control over his actions because HYDRA had attempted to turn his brain to mush and remold it to fit their needs. He is innocent of all actions and accusations while under HYDRA control; he didn't know what he was doing was wrong, and if he stopped or hesitated, he was severely punished. Please, if you want true justice for all the victims of HYDRA, acquit Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes. Thank you."

Foggy returned to his seat and the judge set the jury out of the courtroom to make their decision.

*FMttM*

"We the jury find Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes not guilty -" Everything after that faded into a buzz for Diana. She didn't listen to the reading of the rest of the conclusions the jury made. It had taken them six hours to decide, and they had been provided with all the translated documents and recordings from Fury's flash drive and the HYDRA/SHIELD file dump.

Bucky was free. He could find redemption in the eyes of the world and himself.

Diana felt like crying with relief. All of their hard work had paid off, and Bucky could be an Avenger. He could help with all of the big bads in the future and the Civil War plans Zemo had executed in the third _Captain America_ movie were unlikely to happen. The only thing left was the red book with the reset codes. Diana knew Tony would find it and confiscate it before any other HYDRA asshole could get to it.

Bucky was freed from his chains and allowed to leave the courtroom a free man. Diana stood to the side in the doorway between the courtroom and the lobby watching as reporters mobbed Matt, Foggy, and Bucky - who looked like a deer in the headlights.

Steve made a few strides to his friends and the reporters parted like the Red Sea. The Captain embraced his Sergeant and muttered something in his ear.

"You know," Natasha's voice startled Diana, "now would be your chance." Her red lips curled into a coy smile as she sauntered with swaying hips toward the other Avengers.

Diana flushed and saw Steve glance her way. She swallowed and approached the mob of reporters, who also parted for her. She really, really wanted to kiss Bucky. She licked her lips and looked up at him, "You're free, Bucky. How do you feel?"

Bucky's eyes flicked away from her as he softly replied, "I'm okay."

"It was a pleasure to work for you, Mr. Barnes." Foggy told him and shook his hand.

"Don't let the reporters get to you." Matt told the Soldier, "The hype from the trial will die down eventually and you'll get your life back."

"I think we should get out of here," Steve suggested, "and back to the Tower."

*FMttM*

In the aftermath of the trial, Bucky holed himself up in his room on Steve's floor and only came out to get meals. Tony was still improving the Soldier's metal arm, so Bucky slinked around with his left shirt sleeve cut off or folded into the rest of the shirt.

After spending quite a few days trapped in awkwardness, Diana decided to return to her apartment in Hell's Kitchen to give Bucky time to adjust to his freedom without the pressure of the memories of their brief past romance.

On a nightly basis, she took care of Matt's Daredevil-ing wounds. He'd stop by her apartment for healing or sometimes just to talk. After a week of dancing around a particular elephant in the room, Matt finally asked, "Why haven't you been going to the Tower? You've been to the Sanctum several times, but not the Tower."

"How do you even know that?"

Matt tapped his nose, "The Sanctum has a particular scent: incense and old books. The Tower is much more metallic and almost sterile."

Then Diana shrugged as she laid her glowing hand on a bruise that was forming on Matt's abdomen, "It was awkward. I'm more of a street level fighter than a global one anyway."

"I doubt that." He frowned, "I think you're just avoiding someone."

"He's avoiding me!" Diana blurted and her magic flared, causing Matt to hiss. She cut off her spell, "Sorry Matt."

"It was more the sound of the rapid healing than anything else." He answered as he lowered his shirt.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" She asked.

"No." Matt paused and stared in her direction with a frown, "Why don't you-"

"Because, Matt, it's been seventy years!" She interrupted, "He's been through so much more than me, so many horrible things. We barely knew each other before he fell, so why should his feelings have stayed the same, especially when he had his memories continuously erased, especially when it's my fault he became the Winter Soldier in the first place!"

"It wasn't your fault. It was something out of your control."

"I could've stopped him, you know. I could've told the Colonel exactly what would happen to Bucky during the mission. I could've told him about the Soviets finding him so that we could track them and get Bucky back. I could've told him about Zola and how he'd be the one to get Bucky from the Soviets and turn him into the Winter Soldier. I could've told him -"

Matt put his gloved hands on her shoulders, "Stop living in the past. You're here in 2014. He's here in 2014. You'll figure this whole thing out." Diana nodded. Matt dropped his hands to his lap and leaned back against the couch.

There was a long pause before the black clothed vigilante stood and picked up his mask. Matt headed toward the window and the fire escape, but before he left, Matt turned to Diana, staring in her direction, "I've sensed the effect you have on Barnes, Di, and just like you're not psychic, neither is he. Talk to him. You might find out you've been worried about nothing." He put his mask back on and took the fire escape up to his apartment.

Diana rocked back on her heels. Maybe she should drop by the Tower and figure things out. She gathered up a change of clothes, in case she decided to stay the night on her floor (which was likely), and her Sling ring before creating a portal to Avengers Tower.

*FMttM*

"Welcome back, Miss Larson." JARVIS' voice sounded over the speakers.

"Thanks, JAR. Where is everyone?"

"Mr. Stark is in the lab with Dr. Banner. Miss Romanov and Mr. Barton are not within the Tower. Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes are currently residing in the living room on the Captain's floor. I believe they are watching a movie."

"I think I'll head down to Steve's floor. Thank you, JARVIS."

"You're most welcome, Miss Larson. Should I let the Captain and Sergeant know you're on your way?"

"No. It's okay."

"Very well."

Diana took the elevator to the floor above hers and prepared herself to have a very serious talk with at least one of the two super soldiers.

When the elevator dinged and Diana stepped out, she saw the two super soldiers, who were watching one of the Disney movies Diana had shown Steve ages ago, looked over their shoulders.

"Diana!" Steve exclaimed, got to his feet, and paused the movie.

Bucky followed suit, and she immediately noticed that he had his left arm back. It was still the HYDRA arm - with the red star - but it was shinier; it looked newer. Diana wondered what changes Tony made to the arm that he would consider improvements. Vibranium was a rare metal outside of Wakanda, so the billionaire probably would never have been able to make Bucky a new arm, at least not until the Avengers became acquainted with T'chaka and T'challa.

"Hey guys." She shuffled uneasily before glancing at the TV, "Mind if I join you for the movie?"

"Sure," Steve stepped to one end of the couch so that there was a space between him and Bucky. The Soldier shot a glance at his best friend, but the expression was difficult to see in the dark.

Diana circled the couch and plopped down on the couch, "Matt's been out doing the vigilante thing again." She rubbed her face, "Got kicked in the ribs a few times. I healed him, but sometimes I don't know what to do with him when he goes on a beat-em-up spree." She leaned her head against the back of the couch and closed her eyes, "He's got the ninja training, but he's no super soldier. He doesn't even have a knife or bullet proof suit!"

"Maybe Tony could make one for him." Steve suggested.

Diana shook her head, "He'll get a suit of his own after a while, and it'll be good enough for what he does."

"Good." Steve nodded in approval, "I still need to set up a time to spar with him and talk to him about Luke."

"Yeah. He hasn't brought it up, though, so I guess it's no rush."

There was a short silence before someone got up from the couch, "I'm going to make more popcorn." Steve's voice sounded amused. Diana listened to the Captain's movements as they got softer when he went to the far side of the room to the kitchen, out of sight thanks to the floor to ceiling island that held a double oven.

After a little more silence, Bucky spoke, "Why did you leave?" Diana shrugged and felt him move closer, "Did I do something wrong?"

Her eyes snapped open, and she looked at him. His blue eyes were lowered to the couch, and he looked a lot like a forlorn puppy. She straightened a bit, "No, no, of course not. I just don't want to force anything between us, especially if you don't remember. It'd be like taking advantage. Also, in my universe, there's this huge relationship following between Natasha and Bucky because she'd broken through his Winter Soldier programming while she was training in the Red Room in Russia. They even get married in the comics. So, just in case, I wanted to give that possibility a fair chance since I'm the interloper in this universe."

"Why do you say stuff like that?" Bucky asked, his eyes sharper, "You're as much a part of this universe now as any of us." He paused, turning on the couch, "At Triskelion, did the Black Widow break through my programming? No. Natalia Alianovna Romanova didn't even come close. I may have trained her when she was a teenager in the Red Room, but I don't have feelings for her."

Diana nodded tracing patterns onto the couch cushion, "Okay. I just want to make sure it's your choice and not… the past 'what ifs' haunting you or a sense of duty or whatever."

"Doll, you make me feel sure that I can get better, be better, that my memories will come back, and I'll stop feeling like a monster."

"You're not a monster. Don't ever call yourself that!" Diana told him fervently.

Bucky paused and bowed his head, "Steve sometimes looks at me trying to find the old Bucky, but you just… accept me as I am because you don't mind touching this." He held out his metal hand to her, and she readily took it. The gesture made him smile, and he took her other hand in his flesh one, "It's like you said: I'm Bucky." He squeezed his right hand, "and I'm the Winter Soldier," He gently squeezed his left hand, "I am both, and I think you're the only one who sees that, doesn't fear it, and accepts it"

"Steve does know it too." Diana defended the Captain, "He just has a longer history to reconcile than I do. I mean, I knew you for, what, a year? Less if you count those months of you being on the front lines while I was stuck in Dover."

"We should make up for all the time we've lost," Bucky looked hopeful, "Do you - would you like to go out sometime? I know I promised before the train. I'd like to keep that promise."

Diana couldn't help but smile as she squeezed his hands, "Sure, Buck. Just tell me when and where, and I'll be there."

His small smile lit up his face and eyes, "I'll start making plans. I have no idea what people do in this time when they go out."

"It hasn't changed too much. Dinner and a show are still very popular."

Bucky nodded, "Still, I'll give it some thought. I want it to be special."

"I'll look forward to it."

The Soldier's head twitched, and his eyes darted toward the kitchen. Steve came from around the island with a gigantic bowl of popcorn, "Well, that took a bit longer than I thought." He had a grin on his face and glanced between his two friends.

Diana could feel her face heating up, and she tried to remove her hands from Bucky's grip. His metal hand let go of hers, but his flesh hand remained encasing hers. With a mischievous look on his face, Bucky brought her hand up to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles. Then he laced his fingers through hers and lowered both hands back to the couch.

"My evil plan is complete." Steve joked as he sat down on Diana's other side.

She rolled her eyes and scooted closer to Bucky, "'I could've wished a thousand wishes for this night. I can't believe that it's finally me and you and you and me, just us, and your friend Steve.'" She sang.

Bucky laughed a little while Steve pouted, "What's that from?" The Captain asked.

"Some song… I have no clue, but it's a bit of a meme in my home universe." She paused, "You know what memes are, right?" Both super soldiers looked clueless, and Diana sighed, "A meme is a picture or video clip that's spread on the internet because it involves some kind of theme, phrase, or something funny that fans have noticed that can be applied to other things."

"So I tend to interrupt intense conversations?" Steve asked.

"I guess you could call it that." Diana smiled, "Another meme of yours is you on a World War II poster in the posture of Uncle Sam. The caption says, 'Captain America wants you… to watch your language.'" She laughed a little, and Bucky chuckled, "And your actor Chris Evans is a bit of a potty mouth too, so that makes it even more hilarious."

"Oh come on." Steve groaned.

"You were never a saint when it came to clean language during the War, Steve," Bucky pointed out, "and don't tell me otherwise. I remember you dropping a few curses even before the War."

"Yeah, well, I had cameras on me for a lot of the War, and as someone kids looked up to, I didn't want anyone to swear while the journalists were there and had their film rolling." The Captain defended.

"I remember. It's just fun to tease."

"No popcorn for you." Steve gave his best friend a petulant look.

Bucky simply rolled his eyes and laid his left arm on the back of the couch behind Diana, "Fine by me. I don't remember having popcorn before, so it's no loss."

"Steve!" Diana admonished, "Don't let Bucky not experience the awesomeness that is popcorn!"

The Captain grinned, "I know. Here." He handed the gigantic bowl to her, "Now we can all have some."

Diana blew a raspberry at the Captain before taking a handful of popcorn and stuffing it in her mouth, Steve took up the remote and pressed play on the Disney movie. The three of them munched on popcorn; Bucky found out that he liked the snack and took handfuls from the bowl before picking them one by one with his other hand and tossing each kernel into his mouth.

After a little less than ninety minutes, the credits rolled across the screen and Steve was snoring on the other end of the couch.

"Ever since the serum, he could fall asleep anywhere in seconds." Bucky told her softly, "Before, he always had trouble, so I think he's been catching up on all the sleep he missed."

"I wish I could've known Steve before the serum. He must've been adorable." She looked over at the sleeping Captain.

"I wouldn't call him adorable." The former assassin looked thoughtful before a small smile pulled at his lips, "A stupid ass punk who got into more fights than he could handle is more like it."

"And I bet the only time he wasn't a stupid ass punk was when he was sleeping."

"Exactly."

Diana picked up the empty popcorn bowl and made her way to the kitchen to throw away the unpopped kernels and wash it out.

"Are you staying here tonight?" Bucky asked having followed her to the kitchen.

"I haven't decided yet." She answered as she dried off the bowl and, having no clue where Steve had got it from, set it on the counter to be put away later.

Suddenly, two arms wrapped around her waist, "Stay." Bucky whispered in her ear.

The blonde sighed and leaned against him, her hands clasping over his, one warm, one cool. She leaned her head back against his shoulder, "Well, when you put it like that…"

He sighed in relief, "Good. Things are better when you're here."

Diana let go of Bucky's hands and turned in his arms, "Oh yeah?"

He smirked a little, "I also like the modern you. You seem so much more at home in this time."

"I should think so. I was born in 1996."

"When is your birthday?" He asked, "Don't remember."

"August 8th. Do you remember yours?"

"The Smithsonian said it was March 10." He answered, his blue eyes glittering and a smile tugging at his lips, "And yeah, I do remember."

"Oh my god, Steve forgot your birthday!" Diana gasped, "We were abroad and together and Steve forgot your birthday!"

"It's not like I remembered it at the time either." Bucky shrugged, "It doesn't matter. I've had many birthdays."

"No." She poked him in the chest, "We're going to celebrate your birthday ASAP. Just us and maybe some of the other Avengers."

"You don't have to."

"Nope." She tapped his nose, causing him to blink, "I'm gonna tell Steve tomorrow, and we'll plan something together. I'm sure JARVIS will help get things set up."

Bucky gave a soft laugh, "If you insist, dollface."

"I do."

There was a moment of silence before Diana decided to act on the tension between them. She went up a little on her toes and placed a quick, soft kiss on his lips. It was really the first time she'd initiated any sort of romantic intimacy. His arms tightened around her, pulling her closer, before his lips smashed into hers.

She moaned. His flesh hand clutched at her shirt. She found the long hairs at the nape of his neck and began to run her fingers through them. Diana nipped at his lower lip, his mouth opened a little as a growling noise came from the back of his throat. She took that as an invitation to show him how many 21st Century girls kissed and thrust her tongue into his mouth. Bucky sucked in a breath through his nose, startled by the boldness if this woman in his arms, but, not to be outclassed, he dueled her with his own tongue before taking over entirely.

Diana was starting to get light-headed. She could see stars dancing behind her eyelids, and her knees were slowly getting weak. Bucky withdrew, out of breath. His forehead gently rested on hers, "We should stop before this gets out of hand."

"Hmmm…"

"I'll walk you to your room." He said quietly.

"I think… if you do that, I might try to drag you inside." She admitted and took a deep breath before pulling back.

Bucky had a lascivious grin on his face, "I wouldn't be opposed to that."

"You're such a stupid-face."

He brushed some of her hair behind her ear, "Don't I know it, dollface."

She licked her lips and saw his eyes - pupils blown wide not only by the darkness but also arousal - dart down and then back up, "I saw that." She smirked.

"You, sweetheart, are a vixen." He playfully glared at her before giving her a dancer's spin out of his arms, "You're right, though. I don't think I should escort you to your room. It might be… dangerous." He tugged her toward him and raised her hand to his lips, "Noapte bună, dragostea mea, și vise dulci." He then let her go and turned back toward the living room.

"What does that mean?" Diana asked.

Bucky just smirked over his shoulder, "I'm going to go wake up Steve."

"Buck! What's it mean?" She asked as the Soldier sauntered over to the couch. He didn't answer as he leaned over the Captain. Diana crossed her arms as she strode to the elevator, "I have to learn Russian… or Romanian. Or both." She addressed the AI once the elevator doors were closed, "JARVIS, help me out here."

"If Sergeant Barnes refused to translate his phrase, I will elect to not do so either. My apologies, Miss Larson." JARVIS answered, "I will, however, say that he was speaking Romanian."

"Then set me up with learning Romanian." Then she smiled, "Sebastian Stan would be proud, saying something like, 'Finally people are learning Romanian. Otherwise we'd never get on the map.' Except for, you know, Vlad Dracula the Impaler, but that's not someone most people would be proud of." She said to herself.

The elevator dinged on Diana's floor and she made her way through her living room to her bedroom. She took a cold shower and went to bed with a small smile on her face.


	23. Many Happy Returns

**This chapter is actually very appropriate for today-Sebastian Stan's birthday for 2019! So, Happy Birthday to our awesome Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier/White Wolf, the one and only Sebastian Stan! He posted a one minute video on Instagram with a thank you to all his fans' (or rather friends') birthday wishes.**

 **There are small pieces of this that I will one day share with Sebastian (Matt Murdock's opening statement, for example) when I attend a convention where he is a guest.**

 **Also, I finally have a rough road map to and through _Endgame_! That means that I know how this story will end (there's a new hint about the end in the _Avengers_ chapter)! I'm currently going into _Daredevil_ Season 2 in my writing. Once I've written and get to posting _Endgame_ , I will consider that the end of this story; otherwise, this would be a never-ending story until Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie retire (like Chris Evans) or the MCU kills off their characters (like RDJ). That would get a little tedious. However, we'll see what happens with _The Falcon and Winter Soldier_ series and whether I'm also inspired by what happens there.**

 **Anyway... I hope everyone enjoys the domestic side of the Avengers that I've created.**

 **Please read and review!**

*FMttM*

Diana had started working on catching up the original timeline to her actual one, alternating between meditation and writing down what she remembered.

"I see you're hard at work." Came a voice from the door. It was Tony, leaning against the doorframe.

"Hey Tony. What do you need?" She looked up from the scene in _Thor_ she was writing.

"Heard you were throwing a party. Thought I'd give some input."

"I missed Bucky's birthday. I think he deserves something happy after everything that's happened to him." She told the billionaire. He looked thoughtful and she continued quickly, "I don't want a huge party, so don't even go there. I think it should just be something among friends. Wine and beer, watching movies… there's still so much Steve needs to catch up on, and Bucky even more."

"Hmmmm…" Tony rubbed his beard, "You know, I could rent out a theatre and -"

"Tony, no. Your TVs are the size of a theater's. We don't need to rent one."

He gave a sardonic grin, "I know. I just like seeing you squirm, Hermione." Diana stuck her tongue out at him. After a beat, he continued, "I can get a caterer for the food. Considering how much they've eaten so far, we're gonna need it." There was another beat, "Isn't the Capsicle's birthday coming up soon? What's even the date today?" He took out his phone, "Huh… Well, well. Cap's having a birthday in a couple weeks."

"Seriously?" Diana raised her eyebrows, "I don't think I ever knew when his birthday was."

"Well, just like the All-American Capsicle he is, his birthday is on July 4." He grinned.

"That's not too far away either." She looked thoughtful,, "Maybe you're right. A combined party might be fun."

"Alrighty. Let JARVIS know what you want, and we can call for the catering."

"Thanks Tony."

"Whatcha writing?" He approached and leaned over her shoulder, " _Thor_?"

"His first visit to Earth was pretty hilarious. I was training in Kamar Taj at the time, otherwise I would've dropped by to say 'hi.'"

"Kamar Taj?" Tony looked at her curiously.

"It's the main Sanctum for sorcerers." She replied, "It's in Nepal."

"Nice." The billionaire nodded, "You'll have to give me the address so I can find it."

"Nope. No way."

"Aww, come on. I want an expert to explain exactly how this 'magic' of yours works!"

Diana rolled her eyes, "Yeah, don't think that'll happen." Tony pouted, "Don't give me that look. I'm writing the entire history of a version of this universe! It's more answers than you'll get in an entire lifetime!"

"Ugh, fine. You'll probably tell me eventually." The billionaire looked a bit smug.

"Yeah, well, I have to get to 2016 first, and that won't happen until after 2016."

"Damn. Well, then I guess I'll just have to wait." He scowled, "I hate waiting. You sure you can't just tell me stuff?"

"Tony, do you want to rip apart the universe?"

"Well…"

"Anthony Edward Stark!" Diana glared.

Tony held up his hands and smirked, "Gotcha. I'll leave you to your work."

"Thanks for that." Diana turned back to her notebook. After a few moments, she looked up and saw that Tony had, in fact, left. She set down her pen and turned her attention to the AI, "JARVIS, I have no idea what to order for the party. Although I think we should have plums and blueberries. Other than that… maybe a little of everything so Bucky can get some food memory back. Just make a list of what they like, and I'll let you know when I've set an actual date for the party."

"Very well, Miss Larson."

"Thanks."

*FMttM*

Over the next week Diana planned a celebration for her two super soldier boys. She'd decorated her living room and let JARVIS know to restrict Steve's and Bucky's access to her floor. She'd sent out the invite to all of the other Avengers and even included Matt and Foggy. They declined since they had an influx of cases to manage after the successful Winter Soldier trial; they were also looking for an office in Hell's Kitchen to make their home.

The evening of the party arrive, and the catered food from all over the world sat on the counters and table in the kitchen.

Tony was the first one to come to her floor - he was twenty minutes early and he had two of his robots behind him holding two large boxy presents and one box containing a Nintendo game console. He had a devious smile on his face as he said, "Where should the Frozen Bros' presents go?"

"Ummm… On the coffee table. We'll be spending most of our time in the living room anyway."

"Dum-E, Butterfingers, you heard Hermione." The two robots went to the coffee table and placed the boxes on it, "Go back to the workshop and continue working on the project I set for you." The billionaire genius instructed. He then took the Nintendo from Dum-E and headed toward the flat screen TV to hook it up.

The two robots returned to the elevator and Dum-E pressed the correct button to send them back to Tony's lab.

"Those are huge presents."

"Well, Barnes and Noble were frozen for 70 years." Tony shrugged as he took chords out of one of the boxes and began hooking them up to various locations on the flat screen.

"You gave them seventy years worth of birthday presents?" Diana was actually shocked that Tony would think to do such a thing.

Instead he laughed, "No, no way." His devious grin returned, "You'll just have to wait and see what I got. It'll be hilarious!"

"If only I could show you some of the embarrassing things Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan got up to in their careers. There's cross dressing, random singing, tripping, falling, foot-in-mouth disease, and terrible, horrible young adult movies."

"Oh ho ho. I got to see those." Tony's grin just got wider, "JARVIS, start a file on a Memory Viewing Machine. Call it… 'Project Pensieve.'"

"Yes sir." The AI answered.

"Thanks for the idea!" The genius said to Diana.

"And what's the Nintendo for?"

"Only the greatest game ever known to man!" Tony exclaimed as he finished with the wires and took out eight controllers, "And I have a complete set so we can all race against each other!"

Diana paused to think for a moment, "M-Mario Kart?"

"Hell yeah!" Ironman looked like a kid at Christmas, "It's the only reason I came early so I could get this thing set up before everyone else gets here." He looked up at her, "You didn't really have anything planned other than food, cake, and booze, right?"

She looked away, a bit embarrassed, "I've never planned a party before."

Tony grinned, "Well, just let me take the reins when it comes to the fun stuff." Tony finished with hooking up the Nintendo, "This is gonna be awesome!"

"Uh huh." Diana looked skeptical.

"Trust me."

Just then the elevator dinged and Steve and Bucky walked in. The latter froze for a moment, his eyes widening when he saw Diana. Steve noticed and smirked before slinging an arm over his friend's shoulders and practically led him forward.

Clint and Natasha arrived soon afterwards followed by Bruce. Apparently Bucky had previously met Clint because there was no need for introductions. In fact, they seemed to be on friendly terms - like Recovering Brainwashed Bros. All seven of them dug into the food and drinks provided and lounged around on the sofas and armchairs simply talking.

*FMttM*

"Hey, Hermione," Tony looked enthused. He was probably a little tipsy from the whiskey he'd been drinking during the party and the many rounds of Mario Kart, "show us some magic! Turn one of us into a frog!"

Diana rolled her eyes, "I don't do transfiguration. The magic I use doesn't work like that."

"Then show us something fancy."

"Okay. This is something I just learned a few weeks ago, just before the trial." Diana stood and spread out her arms. She rotated them in a circle before bringing her hands and arms together and pushing out. She then spread her arms again. Diana could feel the ripple of magic spread around them as she brought the entire room into the Mirror Dimension. "And there you go."

"That wasn't cool or fancy!" Tony whined, "That was just crappy tai chi!"

"That's what you think." She smirked, "Just you wait. You'll see why what I did is so impressive."

He scoffed, "I'm getting more whiskey." The billionaire stood. Diana simply flicked two fingers and the cloth from the couch came out and wrapped around both of Tony's legs, "What the fuck!" She then raised her hand a little and the fabric began to travel up his shins to his thighs. Tony tried to jerk forward, but the entire couch moved with him as the fabric was getting closer to his waist. "Let me go Diana!" She splayed her other hand and flicked her fingers out. The glass that he still had in his left hand shattered and the shards floated in the air around his hand, swirling gently.

"Welcome to the Mirror Dimension." Diana told them calmly. "The only things that are real are that which you take with you. Everything else is unharmed outside of the Mirror Dimension. We could destroy the entire Tower, emerge from the rubble in the Mirror Dimension to find that the Tower is completely untouched." She made a swipe with her hand and the room started to twist and bend, "This is a sorcerer's ultimate weapon."

"Diana," Bucky said softly and his eyes flicked to the other Avengers.

She glanced around at the others. Steve was wide eyed and his mouth had dropped open a bit. Natasha was tense and her hand twitched for a weapon. Clint's eyes were narrowed, and he looked ready to attack too, not that any of them would've been successful. Without magic, they stood no chance in the Mirror Dimension. Even Bruce was tense. Diana sent an apologetic look toward him, "Sorry. A bit too flashy, I guess." She spread her arms and brought them back to reality.

Tony stared at the broken glass, which had, in reality fallen from his grasp to the floor. Then he looked at Diana, "That, " a grin spread across his face, "was awesome! How'd you do it? How'd you just bring us to another dimension?"

"The details on the 'how' are pretty fuzzy. I channel the magic and create a doorway. I can either walk through the doorway or bring the doorway to me and my surroundings." She explained.

"Man, if you had that kind of power when the Chitauri invaded, we'd've won easily!"

"I'm pretty sure Loki would've been able to dispel anything I threw at him." Diana replied, "He's more of a master of magic than I could ever be. He'd probably even be able to beat the current Sorcerer Supreme."

"That was some freaky shit." Clint commented.

"And HYDRA didn't think you were dangerous." Bucky scoffed softly, his eyes glimmering with pride that his girl could protect herself with this magic.

"I can do some prettier things." She made a few hand symbols and created a mandala which simply floated in the air before her. Diana flicked her fingers and twisted her hands, and the mandala changed shape. Then she made a swiping motion with one hand and the mandala dissipated, "That's the basis for all my spells. Different mandalas do different things from healing to my shields. Now my whip is slightly different."

She put her hands together and summoned up the Eldritch magic. Strings of crackling gold energy sparked between her fingers as she separated her hands, "This is slow motion formation." The golden strands came together and she lengthened them to the size of her whip. She made the energy weapon sway a little, "And that's the whip." She opened her hand and the whip disappeared.

"Fascinating." Bruce had leaned forward during her presentation, "It's like nothing I've ever seen."

"Well, I hadn't actually learned how to enter the Mirror Dimension until a few weeks ago." Diana told him, "Although I have been learning how to blind-fight."

Bucky's gaze shot to her, brows furrowed, "From whom?"

"Daredevil."

"Daredevil?" Tony looked thoughtful, "You mean that Dread Pirate Roberts vigilante that's been beating up the criminals and running rings around the corrupt police force in Hell's Kitchen?"

"One in the same." She confirmed, "He's a bit of a private person, though, so if you go anywhere near him trying to recruit, I will mess you up."

The billionaire sipped his whiskey, "Obviously you know who he is under the mask."

Diana glared, "He's a Defender, not an Avenger. He also has a 'no killing' rule. He sticks to it so he doesn't lower himself to the same level as the scum of the earth."

"Hmmmm…" Tony looked thoughtful.

"Promise you won't bother him."

"I'll only keep tabs, I promise. No interfering." The billionaire replied, "Although… he does need a better suit…"

"Leave it alone, Tony." Steve came to Diana's aide, "If Di says we're not needed, don't do anything you might regret in the long run."

"Fine." The billionaire pouted, "I won't surveil Daredevil. JARVIS, cancel all unnecessary surveillance on Matt Murdock and friend."

"Yes, sir."

Diana gawked and Tony smirked, "Did you really think I wouldn't figure out Murdock's secret?" His smile faded as he got a bit more serious, "As soon as he and Nelson became Barnes' lawyers, I put up surveillance around their apartment buildings for their own safety. HYDRA could've gone after them, and I didn't think you wanted to feel like your friends' blood was on your hands."

"Oh…" Diana could understand that reasoning, "Okay, well, I'm going to have to tell him that you know. He's very private about what he does because of his job. Not even Foggy knows."

"Right, right, right." Tony waved her off, "Whatever. I did what you asked, and I won't say a thing, but I do have one question:" he leaned forward, "how does he do it? The ninja stuff and the parkour? I know for a fact that he is medically and legally blind. So how's he do it? ESP? Do you even know?"

"His skillset is a bit difficult to describe."

"He was blinded when he was around nine years old." Natasha spoke up, "His father was a boxer and won a match he was supposed to have lost. He got murdered for it. The boy went to St. Agnes' orphanage after that. He was found by a man only known to SHIELD as 'Stick'. The two of them disappeared for a few months, and when the boy was sent back to the orphanage, he seemed to be much more well adjusted to whatever had been bothering him before. We kept a file on him due to his association with 'Stick' and his relation to Luke Murdock."

"Let's talk about something else. I don't like talking about my friends behind their backs." Diana told them.

"But Matt's been training you to blind fight?" Steve questioned.

"Yeah, since long before the trial." She replied, "I'm getting pretty good, but I don't have his radar sense - that's one of the things the serum gave him, I think - and so he can still kick my butt when I'm blindfolded."

The Captain looked to Bucky, "We should go train with him sometime. It might give him a better chance at fighting criminals on a nightly basis."

The Soldier agreed, "Alright. I've never fought a ninja before."

"I've actually been wanting to talk to Matt about Luke." Steve continued, "With everything that's happened, I haven't gotten the chance. Now we both can tell him what we know about Luke. Peggy kept the letters he sent to her. I have a stack of them in the box SHIELD gave me from a when I first woke up."

"I think Matt would like to hear those letters." Diana smiled a little, "I'd like to read those letters sometime too."

"Anyone else we should know about that I shouldn't know about but will probably figure out about sooner or later?" The billionaire asked.

Diana stayed silent. She wanted Matt and Daredevil to find their own footing during the conflict with Fisk. Since Matt was a little bit more well known now because of the Winter Soldier Trial, Fisk might be even more careful when Nelson and Murdock start investigating some of his properties.

Tony gave her a shrewd look, "Okay then, don't tell me. I'll just figure it out myself." He paused, "Since we're dropping bombshells, did you know Agent is alive?"

"Agent?" Bucky asked confusedly.

Steve looked quizzical, "Agent… Coulson?"

"YES!" Tony exclaimed, "Agent! He's alive and kicking and has his own team that helped with the clean up from the attack in London and has done some other stuff."

"That was supposed to be Clearance Level 7 information." Natasha scowled.

Clint rolled his eyes, "Really, Tasha, do you think that would stop Stark from hacking into SHIELD and finding out?"

"No, I'm telling everyone just how sensitive that information is." She gave her partner a side glanced.

"Agent Coulson's alive?" Steve leaned forward to confirm.

"Last I saw and heard, yup." Tony confirmed.

"Where is he? Why didn't he tell us he was alive? I was clearance Level 8, and I didn't even know."

"Uh, spy agency, Capsicle. Their secrets have secrets kept in their secret door in the secret closet of secrets."

"Also one of his team was HYDRA." Diana told them, "I think they're holed up at someplace called The Playground. I don't know where it is, though."

"I'll find it." Tony replied confidently, "I've made headway on the Red Book too. Got it down to Ohio. Hopefully the Soviet won't run away before I get to him."

"That's great, Tony. Thank you." Steve told him earnestly.

*FMttM*

With a bit of help from JARVIS and a meeting with the owner, Diana had been able to order a cake for Steve and Bucky from Carlo's Bakery. She'd requested something honoring their World War II service as Howling Commandos (symbolized by the wings from the side of the Captain's helmet) well as Steve's Avenger status (symbolized by Tony's stylized A, the only letter left from STARK Tower after the Chitauri Invasion). It was also pretty gigantic for eight people. It was still a delicious cake, although Steve and Bucky said it was a little too sweet. That was unsurprising since sugar wasn't used or eaten as much during their time as it was in the present.

The rest of the evening the Avengers bantered, told stories, and played several rounds of Mario Kart. Steve ended up being really good at the game, although that probably had to do with his enhanced reflexes from the serum. However, Clint was the next challenger followed by Bucky and then Natasha. The four of them tended to leave Tony, Bruce, and Diana eating their dust in the races.

Everyone fell asleep on the couches in Diana's living room. She was sitting next to Bucky for the Mario Kart tournament, and as she got more and more tired, leaned against him. Eventually she fell asleep on him.

When she woke in the morning - or perhaps it was midday or early afternoon - she felt the weight of Bucky's flesh arm draped protectively over her shoulders and pulling her toward him so her head lay on his chest. Diana burrowed a bit deeper into his warmth and soft shirt. His arm moved and his fingers gently ran through her hair, "Good morning." He said softly.

"Hmmm…" She turned her face into his shoulder, "'M not 'wake yet."

Bucky continued to stroke her hair, "I'm not going anywhere."

"'Kay." Diana replied, then she murmured, "You smell nice."

His chest vibrated as he gave a soft chuckle and kissed the top of her head, "Thanks. You smell like berries."

"'S my shampoo." Diana gripped his shirt a little, still refusing to open her eyes.

Bucky fell silent then, and Diana was left listening to the thump of his heart and his gentle breathing. She started to drift from those soothing sounds, his smell, and Bucky running his fingers through her hair.

Diana hummed, tucking her head a bit more. Then she heard a different voice giving a stifled chuckle, "Tony, you owe me twenty bucks." It was Steve.

"Nuh uh." The billionaire replied, "Only a lip lock will get you that twenty, Capsicle."

"Fuuuuck." Diana growled into Bucky's shirt, and his chest vibrated again with soft laughter, indicating that he heard her curse, "I guess it's time to face the world." She grumbled and lifted her head from Bucky's chest, shifted a little, and was able to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"Morning sunshine." Tony called from the kitchen, "I have coffee."

"Technically Miss Potts brought the coffee from Starbucks." Steve corrected him.

Diana leaned back on the couch, "Coffee's nice. Gimme." She reached over the back of the couch and made a grabbing motion.

"Get it yourself." Tony shot back.

"Tony." Steve admonished before he came over with two cups of coffee, one for her and the other for Bucky, "I don't think you've had coffee since 1945."

The Soldier took it with his metal arm and sniffed through the hole in the cover, "It doesn't smell any different from what we had as rations."

"Better quality, Manchurian Candidate." Tony informed him, "WAY better quality than the swill you had to drink in the army." He had a large cup of coffee in one hand, "It's the ambrosia of the modern world."

"There's simple like what I got for you and me, and then there's the fancy stuff that Tony likes with all kinds of flavorings and other choices." Steve explained as he sat on another couch not far from them with his own coffee.

"Hmmm... " Was Bucky's answer as he took a drink from the cup. He smiled a little, "This is familiar." He took a larger drink before giving a nod and repeating the action.

Diana took a sip of her coffee and hissed, "Damn, that's hot."

"Language." Steve chastised.

She turned her head and stuck out her tongue, "Pot, kettle, black."

Tony chuckled, "She's got you there, Capsicle. I've heard you curse before, so don't you be the cuss police."

"Sorry. It's just… came out." The Captain looked sheepish.

"Steve used to censor our language during the War, especially if journalists or the ladies were around." Bucky explained with a glance at Diana.

"Well, back in the good ol' days, my dad wouldn't shut up about you guys." Tony said, "It was "Captain America' this and 'Howling Commandos' that. It was so annoying."

"But you love us." Diana smiled at the billionaire.

"You? Sure. You understand my pop culture references. Cap and friends?" Tony gave a big shrug, "Eh…"

Steve rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I can barely tolerate you too, Stark."

"And on that note, I need to go back to the lab." Tony stood from his seat, still holding his coffee, and left via the elevator.

"I think he just fled the scene of the chick flick moment." Diana commented.

"Chick… flick…?" Steve questioned.

"Stories where characters, both guys and girls, talk about their feelings a lot," She explained, "and romantic comedies and stuff like that."

"I don't think you've shown me any of those kinds of movies."

"Steve, we barely caught up with just the animated Disney movies, and we still need to watch the most recent ones." Diana turned to Bucky, "And you should join us for movie nights. I think we'll only repeat the classics and favorites, though." She glanced at Steve, "So you don't have to suffer through any of the terrible ones again."

"I don't think we're busy for a while." The Captain leaned back on his couch.

"Let's go to that ASAP, then. Although, I do have a training session with Matt in a couple days, though." Diana told them, "You both should come and watch, maybe spar with the blind ninja."

"That actually sounds like a great idea."

"Awesome! I'll let him know if I talk to him tonight.. I would've had to bail on the party that I planned!" She told them, "He does tend to get really beaten up patrolling Hell's Kitchen, though, and the police are useless there because the overwhelming majority are dirty cops."

"Maybe we could help him fix that." Steve suggested, "Maybe go to the precinct and talk to the officers."

Diana shrugged, "Wouldn't hurt. Maybe seeing Captain America and the Winter Soldier in their office will make them realize that what they're doing isn't making Hell's Kitchen better, that their employer isn't making their home better. We do have to be careful, though. The mastermind is… volatile. If he figures out who Daredevil is, he'll try to get to Matt through Froggy."

"Then we'll set up protection from those bullies."

"Yeah, I think we could deal with the lowlives of Hell's Kitchen." Bucky put in, "Just like we used to do in Brooklyn before the war. One fight at a time."

"Daredevil will have it pretty well handled unless Stick makes an appearance, and he will." Diana told them, "There are bigger fish to fry in the world. Matt can micromanage Hell's Kitchen all he wants, and we won't have to lift a finger unless we really want to or he asks for help. There's less chance of accidentally revealing his identity that way."

"Let's talk to him about it before we make a decision on how much we help him." The Captain declared.

"Yes, sir, Captain, sir." Diana saluted him with a sarcastic grin on her face.


	24. Crimson Devil

**Here's another chapter. I don't actually have much to say here. I have a sinus cold, have had it for a week. It sucks. So, I'm posting now.**

 **I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 ***FMttM***

Diana met Matt at Fogwell's Gym for her training session. Matt was at a punching bag with his hands wrapped and beating the bag with various boxing-style punches.

"Good morning, Matt." She called to him, "I hope you haven't been waiting too long."

He stopped the punching bag with his hand and turned to look toward her, "Morning. I just got here about ten minutes ago and had enough time to warm up." He rubbed his hands and knuckles.

"Yeah. By the way, Steve and Bucky might be coming here later, if you want to test your skills against super soldiers."

"I've been wanting to do that for a while. I'm glad they're coming." Matt told her before he gave a crooked grin, "That doesn't mean I'll go easy on you during training, though."

"I never expected you to." She replied.

"Get into the ring," Matt instructed as he headed in that direction, "and warm up."

Diana wrapped her hands and climbed into the ring to begin stretching. Matt grabbed a piece of black cloth from his duffel bag that looked a lot like the mask he wore as Daredevil. He then climbed into the ring.

"You know the drill." He handed the cloth to her. Diana wrapped the cloth around her eyes as Matt circled her, "Ready?"

She pulled the scarf down further to make sure that she was in complete darkness, "Yeah." She raised her fists in a guarded position.

Moments later, she felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned toward the tap, but didn't swing out a fist. Diana cocked her head to the side to try to hear Matt's light footfalls on the floor. Then she felt another tap on her left shoulder blade. She tensed and her fingers twitched, but she still didn't punch.

Listening for his footsteps wasn't helping. He'd been trained to not make a sound as he moved and it seemed to come naturally, almost unconsciously for him. She decided to close her eyes so that she wasn't subconsciously straining to see through the black cloth.

"Finally." She heard Matt mumble from behind her, and she swiftly rounded with a kick rather than a punch.

She missed, but she'd never hit Matt before, so it was no surprise that he'd avoided her attack, "You know, if you acted more like a thug than a ninja, I might actually be able to get a hit in." She told him.

"One day you might be fighting ninjas in the dark and you'll end up being useless because you don't know how to fight without your sight." Matt teased and he poked her stomach.

She lashed out with her nails rather than punch, "Says the guy with the world on fire and the radar sense. You can't even turn it off as far as I know."

"Takes effort, but I've done it before. Otherwise, how would I get any sleep?"

"Exhaustion."

Matt hummed before he lightly punched the small of her back, "Now pay attention, Di."

She tilted her head to the side and focused on trying to find Matt. There was a whiff of strong aftershave right in front of her and her gut told her to punch, so she did. He caught her hand, causing her to gasp.

"What gave me away," he asked, "that you didn't notice before?"

"You've got strong aftershave."

Matt chuckled, "It's not my usual. I did that on purpose to show you how your other senses can tell you where someone is when you can't see." He let go of her fist, "Again."

"You must be gagging on the aftershave if it's strong enough for me to smell."

"I've been wearing it all day, so I've gotten used to it." He paused and his voice moved around the ring, "But it is really strong."

She turned an ear toward his voice as he spoke, but as soon as he fell silent, she lost him. Suddenly she received two two-finger pokes on each side, causing her to jump and squeak. Matt laughed a little and Diana rounded on him, swinging a fist wildly.

"Don't get mad. It makes you sloppy." He chided.

"You just did the jumper cables!" She didn't receive an answer, so Diana listened and inhaled to try to get a sense of where Matt was in the ring. Then there was a short-lived creak of the wood under the mat, and she turned with a haymaker punch.

She hit nothing, but her heard Matt's hum of approval, "Good. You're not just listening for me. You're using your surroundings too."

"That was last time's lesson, wasn't it?"

"And you remembered it just now." Matt teased.

"Shut up. A lot's happened since last week."

"Concentrate. Don't get distracted." He kicked her legs out from under her and she landed on her butt.

"Motherf-"

"Language!" She heard Steve's voice coming from further away. She then heard an exasperated sigh from whom she assumed was Bucky.

Diana jumped to her feet, her heart beating a little faster since she now knew she had an audience. She stood still and concentrated on figuring out where the vigilante lawyer was within the ring. She felt a shift in the mat and turned to the side. She had no idea whether Matt had actually tried to tap or poke her, but she hoped she'd dodged it if that was what he was trying to do.

She continued to listen and feel for shifts in the mat below her as well as for the strong aftershave that her opponent had purposefully worn so he could teach her what to look for when fighting in the dark.

Diana tensed for a moment and her hand flew out of its own accord, grabbing for something. She caught a wrist and, in her surprise, dropped it with an, "Oh my god!" Then two fingers jabbed into her side.

"Next time don't let go." Matt chastised, "You almost had me and could've gotten the upper hand."

"Right, right." She nodded.

"One more round; then we'll spar." He told her. One round meant he'd circle her five more times. She waited for the sensation of someone or something coming at her.

She didn't have to wait long. Soon, fingers jabbed into her right shoulder. She didn't swing. There was a kick to her shin. She shifted a little. Then that same feeling came over her, that feeling that makes you flinch in the dark before you realize you almost ran into something. Her arm came up and she blocked Matt's arm that was coming to poke her face or forehead and grabbed hold of his wrist. This time she didn't let go and wrenched him toward her as she stepped back.

Matt didn't fall. He only took a few stumbling steps forward and shifted his own weight so he was more steady. Then he easily got his arm out of her grip and moved around her again.

He hit that creaking board and she lashed out with a punch. He caught her fist and pushed it back toward her before moving again.

Suddenly, two fingers on each side startled her and she jumped with a short-lived shriek before sending her elbow backward as hard as she could. Diana didn't hit anything that time, but she heard Matt laughing softly.

She took off the black scarf and scowled at him, "Okay, Murdock," she toss the cloth out of the ring and shifted to an offensive position, "let's dance."

Matt smirked, "Bring it on."

Diana waited for the first attack, but Matt only shifted his stance slightly. He looked relaxed and completely unbothered by the reprieve. Realizing that he wasn't going to attack, she lunged across the ring and began a series of punches. Some he redirected and others he dodged.

He lashed out with a low kick, which she barely jumped over before she attempted a downward punch. Matt's head jerked backward and the punch missed. The momentum caught Diana off balance and he took advantage of that. He chopped both hands down on her shoulders, causing her to stumble a few steps forward.

"You're being sloppy today." Matt tutted, "Stop it. Don't try to impress the audience. Just fight."

Diana spun around, taking in the blind vigilante's words and altered her fighting stance. She took a few deep breaths and watched as Matt moved around the ring, his fists close by his face in a boxing pose.

She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking of her training with Master Daniel. Then, she moved her feet as she changed fighting styles.

Matt attacked this time, but once he came in close, she trapped his arm between hers and grabbed his forearm to keep him in her reach. She used his momentum to flip him, but he'd grabbed hold of her arm too and once he was down, he pulled her arm to throw her off balance. She let go of his arm before she fell completely on top of him and watched as he sprang to his feet first.

They circled each other again, Matt's head tilted to the slide slightly as he listened to her footsteps, heartbeat, and the movement of her muscles. She had to be fast if she was going to get him. Diana had never won a spar against Matt either unless she was using her magic.

Diana lunged in close with a few punches, which he easily dodged or blocked. He ducked under her last punch and swept out his leg, taking her feet out from under her.

"Watch your feet." He told her, "Never stop moving them."

Diana rolled onto her stomach and climbed to her feet. She hadn't yet learned how to do that flip-to-the-feet thing that Matt, Steve, and Bucky seemed to be able to do with ease. The blind lawyer was waiting patiently for her to at least get to her feet before he attacked again.

She was able to block his punches, but he was pretty sneaky and landed a few onto her belly. They weren't hard punches - he was pulling them so he wouldn't give her bad bruises - but they still knocked the air out of her and made her stumble backward.

"Maybe Kaecilius was right - I really do need to get in more hand-to-hand training." Diana scowled and flexed her hands.

"You do rely a lot of your magic," Matt shifted his stance, "but if you never practice without it, you'll never get to your full potential in a fight with or without magic. Again." He put up his fists.

Diana shifted her weight to a more defensive stance, which made Matt cock his head to the side. Then he came at her with a few jabs, which she blocked, and a kick, which she dodged. Then he grabbed her around the waist and tried to spin her around. She elbowed him in the stomach hard and, as she wrenched herself away from his grasp, Diana latched onto the arm that had captured her and pulled as hard as she could. She took a step out of the way and let go of his arm as Matt stumbled a few steps forward. However, he used his momentum to turn the off-balance stumbled into a handspring-flip. He easily landed on his feet and struck out with a low kick. Diana hopped over the leg and brought up her knee to try to catch him in the face. His head lurched back before her knee could make contact with his nose or mouth.

Matt stood and attacked again with punches, landing a couple on her upper arms and one to her face. He paused when she took a step back at the blow. Diana wiped a bit of blood away from her split lip and lashed right back at Matt with punches of her own. However, he was just on a completely different level when it came to hand-to-hand fighting. He dodged, caught, or blocked her punches.

As she continued her attack, Matt caught a punch and wrenched her arm behind her, effectively putting a stop to her offence. "Okay, I think we're done for today." He told her before releasing her.

Diana took a step away from him and rubbed the shoulder of the arm he had wrenched behind her back, "Did you have to do that so hard? I think you might've dislocated my shoulder."

Matt's blank gaze seemed to focus in the general area of her sore shoulder, "Not dislocated. Strained a little, but not dislocated." He looked a little guilty, "Sorry about that, but your enemies won't be as forgiving as I am."

"I know, but it still hurts." Diana made her way to the side of the ring and slipped through the ropes.

Matt turned his attention to the two super soldiers waiting outside the ring, "I heard someone wants to spar."

"I heard that it's hard to get a challenge when fighting thugs on the street." Steve replied, "Thought we'd give you that challenge."

The blind lawyer's blank eyes looked from the Captain to the Soldier, or at least to the area around their shoulders and head. He was probably analyzing their muscle build to tell what sort of fighting style each one preferred. Then he nodded, "Who's going first?"

Steve and Bucky exchanged a glance as Diana exited the ring. Then the blonde Captain stepped forward, "That'll be me." Apparently, the two best friends were able to silently converse with only their eyes. No wonder Stucky was so popular.

Steve found some hand cloths and wrapped them around his hands before entering the ring. He flexed his fingers a little before looking at Matt, "You sure you want to do this?"

Matt smiled, "I haven't really gotten a challenge since I was training with my mentor. I think this'll finally show me where I need to improve."

Bucky came up beside Diana, "You okay?"

"I've had worse." She replied. The Soldier still took her hands and unwrapped them so he could examine her knuckles.

"I don't know why you insist on fighting." He said.

"I like living in this universe, so I will protect it." She replied as his calloused fingers ran over her bare knuckles, which were red, but not split, "And there are people here I care about. I don't want to see them hurt or suffering."

Bucky looked at her, "I don't want to see you hurt or suffering either, but I know I can't just stop you from fighting."

Diana glanced up at the ring and saw Matt throwing punches at Steve, who blocked them before sending back a few jabs of his own. It looked more like a boxing match than any kind of fight she'd seen Steve in before. Furthermore, Matt was holding his own against the super soldier, although the blind vigilante was mostly on the defensive.

Then, "He's pulling his punches," Bucky commented quietly, "and he's not moving as fast as he can."

Matt's head twitched slightly, and he straightened, "Don't hold back on me, Captain."

"I don't want to see you hurt." Steve answered as he jabbed and punched a few times only to have them blocked or dodged, "At full strength, I can dent a door, sometimes even rip it open. I don't want to break any of your bones."

"Diana can heal any injury I get." Matt answered nonchalantly, "I'm not worried. Just test me."

The Captain's lips thinned, "You really want this fight to end that fast?"

"You really do doubt my skills, don't you Captain?" The blind lawyer smirked a little, "You shouldn't underestimate me just because I'm blind." He waved a hand in front of his eyes. Then he attacked with a speed that surprised the super soldier, but Steve was still able to block the punches.

Both Captain America and Daredevil picked up speed and soon they looked to be dancing around the ring in a flurry of punches and kicks. Matt even brought out his signature flip-kick that he usually used to knock out thugs. He caught Steve in the jaw with that one and received a strong punch to his side in retaliation.

The injuries were slowly mounting, but both soldier and ninja refused to back down, as if they could 'do this all day.'

Diana glanced at Bucky, "Shouldn't we stop them? They're both too stubborn to stop themselves. Steve just keeps going, and Matt will never stay down."

The Soldier's eyes were narrowed on the fight, focused on the violent dance before him, "Steve knows when to stop. You're right, he won't concede a fight if he feels his opponent still needs to be pushed, but if Murdock starts wavering, even a little, Steve will stop the fight."

Bucky was right. Once Steve stopped pulling his punches and fought at full speed, Matt was clearly outmatched. He was able to hold his own for only a little while due to his senses warning him of Steve's preparations for various attack sequences. However, the Captain had cracked a few ribs and nearly dislocated Matt's elbow in a final take down.

The blind vigilante held up his hands, "I yield. You're clearly the better fighter."

Steve stood over Matt and offered his a hand up, "Well, I do have the full serum at my disposal. It seems a little unfair to fight you at full strength, but…"

"I did ask for it." Matt took the Captain's hand and hauled himself to his feet, "It wasn't like any fight I've ever been in. Not even Stick is that good." The blind vigilante rubbed the back of his hand over his bloodied split lips before wincing and moving that hand to wrap around his side.

Steve rubbed the back of his head and looked down, "Thanks. I don't think I've had that good a fight with anyone other than Bucky."

Diana had moved forward between the ropes to get to Matt so she could heal him, "Steve doesn't like hitting girls, otherwise I'm sure Natasha would give him a run for his money." The blonde woman stood before Matt, her fingers glowing slightly with her healing magic, "Where does it hurt the worst?"

"Cracked ribs."

She placed her hands over Matt's injuries and slowly healed his ribs before moving to his strained arm, bruises, and cuts, "Think you'd be up to a spar with Bucky?" She asked curiously as she finished healing his face.

"I think maybe another time." Matt replied, "Even without my injuries, the spar with the Captain was more exercise than I get on most nights I go out." He paused, "Also, I'll need to figure out how to stay out of the way of that metal arm. Otherwise I'll be done as soon as he strikes with that fist."

"Buck's pretty good at measuring his strength. He can do a full on punch with his right fist and then pull his punches with his left." Steve informed Matt proudly.

Matt tilted his head thoughtfully, "That's a risk I'm willing to take." He rubbed a hand over his face and licked his lips, "Thanks for healing me up."

"No problem. It's pretty much my job as superhero healer." Diana waved off the gratitude and climbed through the ropes again to exit the ring. Steve and Matt followed after her, "I'm going to go take a shower while you guys have a good talk." She grabbed her duffel bag and headed off towards the women's showers.

It was time for the two World War II soldiers to tell Matt about the grandfather he never met.

When Diana got out of the shower, the three men were sitting on a bench talking. It looked like both Matt and Steve had taken showers too.

"Hello, boys," she greeted, "having a good talk?"

"My dad never talked about his dad very much." Matt told her, "It's nice to hear about him from people who met him."

"He was a nice kid." Diana agreed, "Should we go out to get something to eat? I'm a bit hungry, and these two," she motioned to the super soldiers, "are bottomless black holes of eternal hunger."

"I can't remember if my metabolism sped up when I lost my sight." Matt looked thoughtful before he took up his cane and stood, "I know a place. I can smell the great burgers from here."

The two super soldiers followed suit, and Steve shouldered Matt's and his own duffle bag while Bucky took Diana's. The four of them walked to a small coffee shop nearby for the suggested meal.

Matt and Steve seemed to be much more at ease with each other, but Bucky was quiet and tense. He seemed to only observe them as they ate and Diana had noticed that he was acting odd.

She bumped his shoulder, "What's wrong?"

The Soldier glanced at her without turning his head, "It's nothing."

"I don't have a built in lie detector like Matt does, but I'd like to think I know you well enough to know that's a lie." Diana frowned at him, "So what's wrong?"

Bucky mumbled something in what was either Russian or Romanian before shaking his head, "It's nothing you can help with."

That felt like a more honest answer, but Diana is was still a little concerned, "You know you can talk to me, right? You know you can tell me anything."

She took his gloved flesh hand under the table and gave it a squeeze. The tension seemed to drain from his posture, and he finally relaxed into the booth.

"Sorry." He murmured, his eyes lowered to the food in front of them.

"James," Matt addressed Bucky by his given name. It was weird to hear when both Steve and Diana called him by his nickname, but for some reason it fit for the blind lawyer. Bucky looked up to give Matt his attention, "You and my grandfather were both HYDRA POWs."

"Zola experimented on us, if that's what you're getting at." Bucky answered, "I'm sure that when Steve rescued me in Austria, Zola moved on to a new test subject to try to recreate the serum."

"And when my grandfather was rescued, Zola just gave up on him?" Matt asked.

Bucky frowned, "I don't know. To Zola, we were just test subjects, things to be discarded if we disappointed him. Most soldiers during the War were trained at least a little to withstand torture during basic training, especially the officers. Protocol told us to only give our name, rank, and military serial number."

"So HYDRA could've found him after the War."

"Yes."

Matt looked thoughtful, "Maybe that's what happened."

After a brief pause, Diana asked, "What happened?"

"The only thing my dad ever said about my grandfather was that he had abandoned his family when my dad was about ten. He didn't know about grandfather being a HYDRA POW and would never have thought that they were still around." Matt paused, "If HYDRA or Zola wanted to take my grandfather, they easily could have and made it look like he had walked out on his family."

Bucky stared hard at the table and muttered in Russian. "You okay, Buck?" Steve asked.

Suddenly, the Soldier stood and left the table and the diner, still mumbling in Russian. Patrons moved out of his way, since his stance indicated aggression and irritation.

Diana glanced at Steve, "I'll go after him. This is probably dredging up some new, bad memories for him."

"We'll be out in a minute after I pay." Steve nodded.

—-

Bucky was walking so fast down the street that Diana had to run to catch up to him. He paid her no mind and kept striding on, so she had to practically jog beside him.

"Bucky." She tried to get his attention, "Bucky!" She looked at him and saw that his pupils were tiny pinpricks and his breathing came in short pants, "Buck, please talk to me." He still didn't answer. Diana grabbed his gloved metal arm, "James Buchanan Barnes, stop!"

He turned on her, twisting his arm so he harshly gripped hers and glared. He snarled something in Russian, and Diana's eyes went wide as she knew that the Winter Soldier stood before her.

"I am not your enemy, Soldier," she told him steadily, even as her arm began to hurt from his titanium grip, "What's going on?"

Suddenly he let her go and went ramrod straight. Then he spoke in low, gravelly English, "Mission Report: 6 September, 1972. Female target shot through the lung. Bled out. Objective complete. Young male target not on site. Current location unknown. Objective failed. Asset 2891 lost to self inflicted gunshot wound. Suspected malfunction in Crimson Devil programming prior to incident. Asset left behind due to relation to the target per orders."

Diana closed her eyes, sure that Matt had heard every word. She looked up at the Soldier, who stared blankly ahead, "Come back to me, Bucky." She put her hand on his cheek, causing his eyelashes to flutter a little. It was the only indication of a flinch since the Soldier was used to being struck and not touched gently. She ran her thumb along his cheekbone, "Come back to me, you stupid-face."

Bucky's eyes closed and his breathing evened out a little. The tension left his shoulders and he leaned into her hand. Then, his gloved flesh hand came up to cover hers, and his blue eyes opened. They were filled with guilt and regret, "Tell Matt I'm sorry. I didn't know who… I didn't know… I swear I didn't, I never wanted Luke to… to be forced to be like me… a murderer… a monster." The last few words came out in a whisper.

"Oh Bucky…" Diana wrapped him up in a hug, "I'm sure Matt will forgive you." Bucky buried his nose in her loose hair and held her tightly.

"I'll try." Matt and Steve had come up behind them. Diana let go of Bucky and tried to step away, but he wouldn't let her and held her around the waist, "I know HYDRA's to blame."

"You're taking this well." The Soldier commented as he let go of Diana to face Matt, "Diana told me that Stark didn't take finding out about his parents' assassinations so well."

"I'm not Tony Stark." Matt replied simply.

"Thank God." Diana mumbled and Matt sent a smirk in her direction.

"My grandfather broke through his own HYDRA programming and died as himself and not as their tool. Although Catholicism decrees that suicide is a sin and a one way ticket to Hell, I sometimes wonder if God might make an exception for extenuating circumstances." Matt paused, "in this case, I hope so."

"I'm sorry." Bucky whispered.

"I know, but it wasn't your fault."

"I was the one who found him and brought him to HYDRA in the first place and took him away from your dad."

Matt's jaw twitched a little, "HYDRA forced you to do terrible things. I know that you're innocent of everything they made you do. You were not consciously in control of your own actions. The blame lies solely with them."

Bucky bowed his head, "I don't deserve any kind of forgiveness, but thank you nonetheless."

"Well, just know that when we spar, I'm not going to hold anything back." Matt's voice seemed to deepen as he showed a bit of the Devil within.

The Soldier looked over at the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, "I'd expect nothing less from the grandson of the Crimson Devil."

"Maybe not today," Matt continued, "but soon."

Bucky smirked a little, "I'll look forward to it. Then we'll finally see who's better: the Soldier or the Devil."

Matt held out his hand to shake and Bucky took it firmly.


	25. Date Night

**Aoi Dragon: So, I just got back from** ** _Frozen 2_** **. I really like it! And since Spoiler Dad Mark Ruffalo has a birthday right around now, and I think so does Scarlett Johansson, I thought I'd post a new chapter. Judging by the title, you'll like it. Just know that my two named cameo characters are played by Jeremy Jordan and Mila Kunis. I don't know why I have them cast and none of the other cameo characters (minus Lee). I originally had Ben Barnes as Luke Murdock, but then Barnes went on to be in the** ** _Punisher_** **Netflix series. So, I cancelled that out and recast a young Nathaniel Parker in my head. Anyway... on to the chapter!**

 **Enjoy and review!**

 ***FMttM***

Diana stood in her apartment at a complete loss as to what to wear for the date Bucky had told her to be ready for that night. He'd told her to wear something she could move in and still be comfortable. She wondered if he was taking her to Coney Island or out dancing or something else that would have a distinct 1940s vibe to it. Or maybe he would do something modern… not that dates had changed much in the past three-fourths of a century.

She picked up her phone, "I need more female friends." The only people she knew she could call who could help was Pepper Potts - labelled Gwyneth Paltrow in her phone - and Natasha. Pepper probably had a better idea on what Diana should wear on a date than Natasha, so the blonde called the CEO of Stark Industries.

"Hello? Who is this?" She answered, and Diana realized that she'd never actually given Pepper her number.

"Ms. Potts, this is Diana Larson."

"Oh, how are you?" Pepper's tone became a lot more friendly.

"I'm doing okay." Diana smiled a little, "Listen, I need some help."

"What can I help you with?" Pepper seemed eager to offer assistance. Maybe that was because she didn't have very many female friends either.

"Bucky's asked me on a date and that I wear something I can move in," Diana told the ginger, "and I don't know what that means. I mean, I can kind of guess since I know he took dates to Coney Island and out dancing and even to the Stark Expo. I don't know what to do; I don't know what to wear!"

"Well," there was a smile in Pepper's voice, "I'd need to see what you have before we decide on anything. When's the date?"

"Tonight. Like, three hours."

"Well, I better get over to your place and help you!" The ginger exclaimed.

"Okay, where are you? I can come get you." Diana offered.

There was a pause, "I'm at the Tower."

"Go to my floor. I'll be there."

They hung up and Diana created a portal to her floor. She stepped through and waited patiently for the elevator to deliver her (hopefully) new friend.

Pepper stepped off the elevator and raised her eyebrows, "You got here fast."

"The perks of portal travel." Diana smirked as she motioned to the portal circle behind her, "After you."

The ginger examined the portal, "Tony wouldn't shut up about this. He talked about it being some sort of space bending wormhole or something like that. I didn't really understand, but he's been having JARVIS try to analyze the energy and mechanics of it since he first found out about it." She glanced at the blonde, "What happens if I touch the edge?" Her fingers hovered over the sparking golden circle that created the edge of the portal.

"I don't know." Diana frowned, "I've never really thought about touching it before."

Pepper's fingers inched closer to the golden circle and went right through the energy, "It's warm, and it tickles." She smiled a little before withdrawing her hand and taking a step through the portal. Diana followed and swiped the portal closed as Pepper had headed straight to her room, as if she knew exactly where it was (not that her apartment was very big, but still).

"You have a nice apartment." Pepper commented as Diana joined her in staring at the clothes in the closet, "A little small, but it's nice." The ginger glanced toward the blonde, "Why don't you just live at the Tower? You seem to spend a lot of time there, and since Steve and James live there now…"

"I like to have a place of my own." Diana told Pepper, "The Tower's too glitzy for my taste, and I don't really consider myself to be an Avenger. I was in the New York Battle for, like, twenty minutes toward the end, and I didn't even do that much."

"I doubt any of the others would agree with you on the Avenger part, but from what I can see here, your taste is very different from Tony's…" She moved aside some of Diana's more casual clothes, "And even mine."

"Yeah, well, I haven't had much opportunity to make many female friends. Hell, I barely know you and I brought you here to pick out my outfit to go on a date!" The blonde replied frustratedly.

The ginger continued to frown at Diana's closet, "You know, it would probably be easier to just shop for an outfit. I don't see anything in here that I'd consider 'date' material."

Diana groaned and sat on her bed, covering her face, "Great. Just what I need when I have no money."

"Don't worry about it." Pepper told her, "I can cover it. You are, after all, an employee of Stark Industries. Although Tony's never told me what you do."

"It's complicated."

"I'll bet it is."

"Hey, Ms. Potts?"

"Just 'Pepper'. We are friends now." The ginger smiled.

"Pepper, are you mad that Tony's started building more suits?"

She stopped looking through Diana's closet and bowed her head a little, "I'm not happy about it. He promised me he'd stop with it all, but… I knew he'd already started building a new suit before SHIELD fell. I'm glad he did because I don't think you guys would've gotten the helicarriers down safely without his and JARVIS' help. So, while I'm not pleased that he's continuing to put himself in danger, I know he believes it's the right thing to do." Pepper paused, "And since HYDRA's still out there, I know he'll stop at nothing to destroy them as they destroyed his family."

"Good." Diana nodded, "Don't be mad at Tony. He loves you more than anything, even if he only knows how to show it by dumping money into your account or buying you expensive things."

Pepper gave a fond smile, "He does other things too. Sometimes he brings me breakfast in bed or goes out and gets me coffee before a big meeting. He may not say the words, but his actions speak for themselves. What about you and Sergeant Barnes? I know there's something there. Steve and Tony have a bet about it."

"There's not much to talk about there. So much has changed since we first met." Diana told her, "We were at war and barely saw each other. Then, just as the spark was igniting, Bucky fell from the train. Then there's the whole Winter Soldier brainwashing and training and the guilt and self loathing he deals with on a daily basis… We're just trying to find some semblance of normal in our crazy lives."

"I know how difficult that can be. I've been dealing with it to a lesser extent since Tony announced he was Ironman." Pepper gave up on the closet as there was obviously nothing in there that was up to her standards as 'date clothes.' She sat on the bed next to Diana, "You'll have to call me when your date's over and tell me how it went. I haven't seen you together with Sergeant Barnes, so I don't know what you're like as a couple. But I did see that incident during the Trial where the Soviet HYDRA soldier started saying some words in Russian. You put yourself right in front of the Winter Soldier and spoke to him. I don't know what you said or did, but I could see his focus was on you alone."

"That was unexpected." Diana added, "I didn't think anyone else from that time period was even alive. At least Tony should find the Red Book soon. JARVIS has it narrowed down to Ohio. Once we have the book in our hands, we can destroy it, and no one else will be able to control Bucky."

Pepper gave a warm smile, "Well, it's obvious that you care about him."

"I've cared about him since long before I met him." Diana replied.

"That's right, the time travel thing. I remember that from the Trial." The ginger nodded, "How's that work, anyway? You go back in time and then forward in time."

"I don't know exactly how I went back in time, but forward is a bit easier to explain." Diana told Pepper, "See, the sorcerers I trained with have a special ritual method that can stop time for a determined amount of time according to the caster. So, I asked the Sorcerer Supreme to cast the spell on me and only lift it when she knew I'd be needed. When 2011 rolled around, she woke me up." The blonde twisted the details a little to make her journey a little less complex and leaving out the inter-universe travel.

"I see. I bet going both ways was a bit of a culture shock."

"You have no idea. I wouldn't want to go back to the World War II Era ever again. Please and thank you."

Pepper stood up, "You just gave me an idea. Can you make a portal back to the Tower? If we leave from there, it'll be much easier to get to the shops."

"Sure." Diana stood as well and slipped on her Sling Ring, "One portal to Avengers Tower coming right up. I do have to be back here in two hours, though. Bucky's picking me up from here."

"That'll be no problem. I can even help you do your hair and makeup if you want." Pepper offered.

"That'd be great! Thanks!" The blonde couldn't help but smile as the portal sparked to life.

*FMttM*

Diana didn't know what to expect when shopping with Pepper Potts. The blonde had never done the rich person shopping spree anywhere, much less New York City. The ginger had brought her to so many stores and had eventually simply decided to replace Diana's entire wardrobe with clothes of 'quality' as well as buy her a pretty knee length aqua blue-green dress with a scooped neck and a decorative scarf for her date with Bucky.

They had returned directly to Diana's apartment where Pepper had unloaded all the bags and taken up the makeup and hair products she'd also bought while they were out. The ginger had lightly curled Diana's blonde hair and gently brushed it so it lay in delicate waves swirling around her shoulders. It was modern, yet reminiscent of the 1940s Hollywood hairstyles worn on the red carpet.

Diana requested that she not go too heavy on the makeup. The younger woman had always felt that wearing heavy makeup was just as bad as putting on an actual mask. Pepper made sure to create a natural look, although she used a vibrant red lipstick to make her lips pop.

The ginger stood back and stared at her work with a smile, "I haven't been able to do someone's makeup in a long time."

"Thanks so much, Pepper." Diana tossed some hair out of her face before using her finger to tuck the strands behind her ear.

"Hmmm… I think Sergeant Barnes won't be able to take his eyes off you for a moment." She teased.

"I'd despair if he did." Diana gave a sly smile into the mirror.

Pepper laughed, "I'm guessing that's a quote since you fell into a weird English accent."

"Kind of. A pirate said something like that to a princess at the base of a beanstalk."

"Sounds like my kind of fairytale." The ginger began to put away all the makeup and hair supplies. Once she was done, she turned to Diana, "Well, I think you're done just in time for your date."

"Thanks again for helping." The blonde slipped on her Sling Ring and began to create a portal back to Stark Tower.

"It's no problem." Pepper replied and stepped toward the open portal, "You'll call me to tell me how it goes, right?"

Diana grinned, "I will."

"Good luck." The older woman hugged her and stepped through the golden ring of sparks.

Diana swiped the portal closed and put her Sling Ring in the purse Pepper had bought just before she heard a knock on the door. The blonde checked herself in the mirror once more and gave a quick smile before heading to meet her date.

The door opened and a small smile lit up Bucky's face, "Diana," his blue eyes looked her up and down, "you look beautiful."

Her eyes widened. He'd cut his hair short. There was still a five o'clock shadow along his jaw, but his hair was short and styled in a modern fashion, "Wow." She breathed.

Bucky ducked his head a little and ran a hand through his hair, messing up the gel and making it stick up a little, "I'm not sure I like it, but Steve took me to this place in Harlem called Pops. I'd mentioned I didn't really like having my hair falling in my face all the time, so…" He indicated his new hairstyle, "The place Steve took me to still does a shave and a haircut the 'old fashioned' way. He said it was one of the few left that did."

"It looks nice. It looks great." Diana smiled.

"Do you - do _you_ like it?" He asked.

"I do like it, but I also liked the longer hair." She blushed when she saw his small smile.

"Tony bought the clothes, though." Bucky stepped back and spread his arms so Diana could get a good look, "They're not really my taste, but I haven't really felt like buying a wardrobe, and Steve's been letting me use his stuff, which is good enough for now. Tony, of course, doesn't agree saying that Steve and I would have too many 'old man' clothes." The Soldier smirked, "I guess he doesn't realize that the punk and I are over ninety years old."

Diana laughed, "Well, Pepper got me this dress since I had nothing she approved of to wear, and she did my hair and makeup." She couldn't help but spin around so he could get a look at her dress.

He caught her hand, twirling her once more before he pulled her close. Bucky buried his nose in her hair and placed a small kiss right below her ear, "You've got to be the most beautiful dame in the city." Then he took a few deep breaths before stepping back again. He cleared his throat and shifted a little, "We should get going."

"What did you drive here? Or did Tony have you use his chauffeur?"

"Steve let me borrow his motorcycle." Bucky looked a little sheepish as they made their way downstairs.

"I think we can work with that." They arrived at the motorcycle. Diana looked down at her dress, "I might have to ride side-saddle, though. This rig isn't meant to straddle."

"Then you'll have to hold on tight." He smiled at her and handed her a helmet.

"None for you?" She asked, strapping it on.

"There's only one," Bucky replied, "and I know how to tumble from a motorcycle without hurting myself."

"I'd feel better in the future if you - and Steve, so tell him this too - had a helmet." She reached up to touch his face, "You might know how to tumble or whatever, but there are other drivers on the road who can crash into you and -"

Bucky put a finger to her lips, "Alright. Next time I borrow the motorcycle, I'll make sure to have two helmets."

She gave a nod, "Okay." Then Bucky lifted her by the waist, "Woah!" And set her on the motorcycle.

He got on in front of her and looked over his shoulder with a fleeting grin, "Hang on."

*FMttM*

Bucky took her to a very nice looking restaurant. Diana knew that Tony (JARVIS) or Pepper had probably gotten them a reservation. The blonde also noticed how Bucky stuffed his left hand in his pocket and held out his right arm to her.

"Reservation for Barnes, please." Bucky told the host.

"Reservation for two?" The host's eyes darted to Diana.

"Yeah."

"Follow me." The host took up two single page menus and led them further into the restaurant.

Even though Bucky had a different look, the other patrons recognized the man who'd been on trial for treason and multiple murders for several days on TV only a short time ago, and the murmurs spread. The atmosphere changed a little and became more tense. The Soldier bowed his head and stepped a little closer to Diana.

She moved her hand from his arm to his fingers and entwined them with her own, "Don't mind them. They don't know you." He squeezed her hand.

The host stopped at a table and set down the menus, "Here you are."

Bucky pulled out Diana's chair, "Thanks, Buck." She smiled at him. He smiled back before rounding the table to sit across from her.

The host gave them a wine list before leaving. After ordering both their meals and a recommended wine, the two of them sat in awkward silence. Diana fiddled with her napkin, trying to think of something to say.

"I-" Bucky started. His eyes darted to the other patrons, some of whom had been staring at them. He licked his lips before starting again, "I don't know if I'm going to be very good at this. I mean, I was back before… everything, but I don't know how to do this anymore."

"Well, we'll both have to brush up on the dating thing." Diana admitted, "It's been almost seventy years for you, and this is my first date in this universe. I'm glad it's with you."

He smiled a little, "Me too." He lowered his eyes, and she was sure his ears turned a bit red.

They settled into silence again.

After a few moments, Diana spoke, "Have you ever wondered about what happened to your sister after the War?"

Bucky shrugged, "I assume she got married and had kids."

"Would you want to find out?"

He looked a bit startled, "Why?"

"Well, I… I thought it'd be nice for you to know what happened to her, to find your family."

Bucky looked sad, "As nice as that would be, I don't want Becca seeing me like this." He raised his left shoulder slightly and looked down at the table, "I've done so many terrible things. What would she, or her kids who probably grew up with stories about my heroics with Captain America, think when they find out who I am, what I am?"

"Considering how public your trial was, I bet they already know. And I think that they'd love you no matter what." Diana told him confidently, "If they don't, Steve and I can set them straight."

"Right. I'll - I guess I'll think about it." He replied. There was a short pause before he asked, "Have you found your family?"

The blonde blinked, "My family?"

Bucky nodded, "You deserve to have your family more than I deserve mine."

"Why would I want - they wouldn't even know me." Diana bit her lip, "Sixteen year old me probably doesn't exist in this world. They wouldn't know who I am to them. I also don't want to put them in danger. I've made so many enemies in this universe that I don't want anything to happen to them."

Bucky hummed in thought and took a sip of wine, "I'm sure someone could provide protection for them. For both our families if we choose to look for them."

"You really want me to get in touch with my parents and siblings, don't you?"

"I think it's important that they know you." Bucky told her, "You're amazing. I'm sure your siblings would be ecstatic meeting an Avenger."

Diana blushed a little, "My sister was a fan of Loki back in my world. One of many who thought she could make him better. She liked villains and the darkness and the redemption that sometimes came with it. She liked you too, but not as much as Loki."

"Would your family even want to meet someone like me?" Bucky asked.

"Getting ahead of ourselves a little, aren't we?" Her face heated again.

The Soldier ducked his head, "Well, I know Becca would've loved you. If she's still… here, she'd probably want to meet you too." He smiled a little, "I wrote her and my ma about you, you know, back during the War."

"You did?"

Bucky's smile widened a little, "Yeah. Several letters. They weren't in the Smithsonian, so I wonder if Becca kept them."

Their food arrived along with the red wine.

"I gotta admit that Tony chose out this restaurant. I did make sure it wasn't too fancy, you know, requiring a suit and tie." He motioned to his clothes.

"This is a nice place." Diana took a cut of her steak.

"I didn't know where to go, and I didn't want anything really fancy."

"Steve took me and Natasha to a diner in Brooklyn when we were on a mission once, just before the Triskelion Incident." She told him, "They apparently have the best chocolate milkshakes in the world."

"That place is still around?" Bucky looked surprised and then smiled, "We'll have to go back. I'd like to see the old neighborhood now that I remember it."

"I still haven't done any of the other touristy stuff in New York either." Diana told him, "I've been here for three years, and I've only gone to the Smithsonian in DC."

"I guess we have more stuff we can do in the future."

"You think you're going to get a second date already?" Diana smirked.

The Soldier froze for a moment, and his eyes widened, "I hope so."

Her smirk turned to a smile, "Good. Me too."

They fell into a comfortable silence for a little while as they finished their meals.

*FMttM*

"Where are we going next?" She asked Bucky as they mounted his motorcycle.

"Remember when I started teaching you to dance?"

"Yeah." Diana couldn't help the smile that krept over her face as she realized what he had planned.

"I thought we'd take a few lessons." He told her, "JARVIS found a teacher who has night classes at a studio nearby. What do you think?"

"I think that's a great idea." She squeezed his waist and leaned her helmeted head against his back.

"It won't take long before we get there." Bucky told her, "It's the latest class JARVIS could find, just in case we were delayed at dinner."

Moments later, their motorcycle rounded a corner and he found a place to park. After dismounting, he held out his hand to her. Diana took it and slid off the bike.

"Ready?" He asked, his blue eyes flicking to the studio behind him.

"Yeah." Diana smoothed her dress with her free hand, "I've been looking forward to this for seventy years."

That made Bucky grin and he moved her hand to the crook of his arm so he could be her escort inside.

A woman in leggings with a translucent long skirt over them and a tank top approached them. Her smile was a little strained and her eyes darted down to Bucky's left arm, which he stuffed even deeper into his pocket, "Welcome, Mr. Barnes, Miss Larson. You're right on time. The class is this way." She motioned with long, delicate fingers.

There were five other couples in the room and one slender, dark-haired man by a boom box. The room got really quiet when the other students saw that two (in)famous celebrities had walked into the room.

Bucky shifted awkwardly and lowered his gaze to the floor in shame at the judgement. Diana stepped closer to him. If these stupid people ruined their first date, she was going to kick their asses. The Soldier gave a deep sigh before raising his head and looking each of the couples straight on. They looked away.

"Well, we can actually start early." The teacher looked at her students happily, "I'm Vanessa Milan, and this is my husband Jack."

Jack smiled at the class, "I didn't think dancing would be this popular." He had a pronounced New York accent. His eyes roved over the students and when he saw Bucky, he squared his shoulders and actually saluted, "Sergeant Barnes," Bucky's eyebrows went up at the military posture, "It's an honor to meet you. I went to boot camp for the Marines right out of high school, but was medically discharged when I broke my collarbone in two places. It's an honor to meet you; thank you for your service. You're… you're my hero. You're the reason I wanted to be in the military."

The Soldier's eyes darted to Diana and then back to the dance instructor, "I was just doing my duty during the War." Bucky said.

"Jack, we should start class." Vanessa smiled fondly, although with exasperation, at her husband, "You can ask all of your fanboy questions later." She turned to the class, "First we're going to warm up so we don't strain any muscles. We will be learning the basics of the waltz during this class. Should you choose to return to future classes, we will be introducing the variations on the waltz, such as the Viennese Waltz, as well as eventually introducing other dances like Swing and the Tango."

Bucky hesitated for only a moment before taking off his jacket. His dark shirt underneath was short sleeve and so his metal arm gleamed a little in the artificial light. The other couples stayed a ways away from them as they began various stretches led by both instructors.

We will start with the box step," Vanessa told her students, "which is the most common step in the waltz. Please stand across from your partners within arm's reach." The students did so as did the teachers.

"Gentlemen," Jack addressed them, "take your left hand and hold it out to your lady and put your right hand at the small of her back, near the waist." He did these actions as he said them.

Bucky took a step closer and held out his titanium hand; Dian readily took it in her right hand and he set his right flesh hand on her waist just above the seam where the bodice of her dress met with the skirt. He gave her a smile.

"Ladies," Vanessa addressed them, "You have your partner's left hand in your right. But what should you do with your left hand?" She glanced at them as she indicated her left hand, "This depends on the dress you're wearing when you dance. Some dresses, especially some floor-length ones, may require you to lift the skirt." She did so with her translucent skirt, although it clearly wasn't made to do this. She and Jack did a short waltz, and he ended by giving her a spin before coming back to their starting point.

Vanessa dropped her skirt, "If the dress does not allow for you to lift it, you place your left hand on your partner's shoulder." She did so, "This is your starting position."

As the lesson continued, the 1, 2, 3 rang through Diana's head. Bucky was a strong lead, and it was obvious that he knew a little how to waltz.

"You… seem…" She told him, splitting her concentration between the steps and talking, "pretty good… at this."

He smiled a little, "And you're thinking too hard. You gotta let go, act on instinct. I know what I'm doing."

Diana looked up at him, straight into his blue eyes, "I'm trying. I'm not as smooth as you."

"Do you trust me?"

"Always." She told him confidently.

"Then follow my lead. I won't cue you wrong."

She took a deep breath and continued to look straight into his eyes. She saw them crinkle and it made her heart flutter as she felt him move in the first step of the waltz. Automatically, she copied his movement, and they began in tandem once again.

As the motion repeated, Bucky started changing the movements. They would spin a little faster than the normal box step they'd been doing. He'd turn and shift as they moved.

"That's very good. You can stop." Vanessa told her students. Her doe eyes stared at Bucky for a moment before travelling to her other students, "The next step in the waltz is quite simple, although it seems that Sergeant Barnes has gotten ahead of us." She smiled a little.

Bucky ducked his head, "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Sergeant." Vanessa offered her delicate, long-fingered hand, "Be my partner to show the next step."

Bucky's eyes darted to Jack, who simply rolled his eyes. Then the Soldier looked to Diana, "Go, stupid-face. Show them what you're really made of." She gave him a nudge.

He took a few steps forward and brought up his metal hand to Vanessa's outstretched one. Bucky hesitated, staring for a moment at the silver fingers. He looked to the teacher, who gave him an encouraging smile. She was putting a lot of trust in the soldier who had killed people with that metal arm. Steeling himself, he took her hand and stepped closer to put his right hand around her very slim waist.

They began to waltz in a wider area than the first box step taught, turning and spinning like Bucky had been doing with Diana moments before. After a few moments, Vanessa cued the stop and he spun her one last time before stepping back and dropping her hands.

She smiled at him, "You are a very good dancer, Sergeant Barnes."

"It was popular back in the day." Bucky answered, blushing a little and taking a few steps back toward Diana, "There wasn't so much technology for entertainment when it came to going out with beautiful dames." He looked over at Diana.

Vanessa smiled, "Thank you for the dance." She turned to her husband and they took up the dance position again, "Now, to repeat what Sergeant Barnes and I just showed you, Jack and I will go a bit slower so you can see how the steps change with the spin."

The two teachers showed the steps of the waltz with the spin slowly so that the students could see every detail.

Bucky took Diana's hand and drew her close, "Ready?"

"Yeah." She rested her right hand on his shoulder.

The two of them danced. Bucky changed up the steps even then, but she followed fairly well. After a while, the music stopped, and the students completed their dances.

Vanessa smiled at her class, "Thank you everyone for coming tonight. It's been a great class. If you want to continue learning various dances, you can sign up for the next class in the series for Swing dance. It's a faster dance that I'm sure many of you might remember from gym class in school."

"Swing is pretty fun," Jack added, "although it's much more complicated since there are so many steps and variations. So, if you think you're up to the challenge, we would welcome you back."

Bucky slipped his jacket back on, effectively hiding most of his metal arm. Diana walked over to the teachers, "Thanks so much for teaching this class. I think, though, that I was a bit overdressed."

Vanessa waved a hand at her, "It's alright. We get all sorts at our we had some Broadway extras come in to learn how to do a particular dance," She looked at her husband, "what was it again?"

"It was the tango. And they weren't actually extras." Jack told her, "It was for an Off Broadway production of _RENT_. The actors for Mark and Joanne had just gotten their parts and didn't know how to tango." He looked to Diana, "For the 'Tango Maureen'."

"Well, it was six years ago." Vanessa grumbled.

"Seriously, though, thanks for trying to make things less awkward for us. Bucky might look scary with his metal arm and have a bad reputation because of… you know. But really? He's just a cinnamon roll."

"I'm quite impressed by his dancing skill." Vanessa looked over at the Soldier, who was standing off to the side, avoiding the other couples who passed by him, "I didn't expect it of him."

"He's from the 1940s, hun." Jack reminded her, "Dancing was a common past time, and Barnes was really good at it. There was this one girl he took out right before he was sent off overseas. I don't remember her name, but she gave an account of their date for the Smithsonian. Barnes took her to the Stark Expo and then dancing."

"There was another girl with us." Bucky suddenly spoke as he took a few steps closer to them, "I'd set Steve up with her, but of course the punk had to try and apply for enlistment into the army. Again." He paused, "And her name was Connie Oswald, the girl who was my date."

Jack's dark eyes lit up, "That's right! Connie Oswald. I kept on thinking 'Clara', but that's a _Doctor Who_ character."

Diana laughed a little and when the men turned to look at her, she smiled, "Oh, don't mind me. When you're in my situation, there's coincidences everywhere."

Bucky gave her a curious look, "Is this a Sebastian Stan type situation?"

"Yeah. Yeah it is."

He gave a nod before looked back at Jack and holding out his hand, "Thanks for taking us on such short notice."

Jack shook Bucky's hand, "No problem. I've been a Howling Commandos fan since I was a kid. My brother always wanted to be Cap, so I was always Bucky."

The Soldier looked a bit embarrassed, "It's weird to think that kids pretended to be us."

Jack flushed, "Well, we all really admired what you did for our country and, well, I'm from Brooklyn, so I really looked up to you guys."

"Well, thanks for your compliments and for the class." Bucky gave a very small smile, "We Brooklyn boys gotta stick together."

"That's right."

"Sweetie, we have to close up the studio soon." Vanessa laid a hand on her husband's arm.

"Right." Jack nodded, "I hope we'll see you at the next class." He grinned, "I'm sure you remember how to swing."

Bucky gave a nod, "I'm sure I do. I might need a refresher, though."

"And bring your lovely girlfriend." Vanessa told him, "You two dance very well together."

Diana flushed, but before she could say anything, she saw the way Bucky looked over at her, "I've heard that before." He then held out his arm to her, which she took.

"Thanks again for coming!" Jack called out as they left the studio, "I hope you come back for the next class!"

*FMttM*

"Hey, you want to go get something to eat?" Bucky asked.

"You're hungry? After that ginormous meal we had?"

"It's been hours since we ate."

"Has it?" Diana rummaged in her purse and took out her phone to look at the time. "Oh wow. It's 10 PM. Do you think anything will even be open now?"

"I don't know. It is Manhattan, though. I'm sure we can find something."

She pressed an app on her phone and the StarkPhone helper asked, "How may I help you, Miss Larson?"

She startled a little, "J-JARVIS?" She saw the text scroll across the screen and vanish like she was writing in Tom Riddle's Diary.

"Yes, Miss Larson." He confirmed, "Although my ability to help is very limited within the parameters of this program, much like Apple's Siri or Microsoft's Cortana."

"Okay," she held the phone closer to her mouth and saw Bucky arch an eyebrow at her, "well, Bucky and I are looking for someplace to eat. It doesn't have to be fancy and… I'm kind of craving a good milkshake."

"A moment." It took mere seconds for JARVIS to give her a map of all the nearby restaurant locations that would have food and milkshakes.

Diana searched through the results and Bucky looked over her shoulder at them. He was so close and his warmth radiated from his person and she just wanted to lean back and have him wrap his arms around her and - she mentally smacked herself. Not right now. So instead, Diana looked up at him over her shoulder, "Well? Any ideas?"

He pointed at one on the screen, "That -" it switched to the restaurant profile with his accidental touch, "one… what happened?"

"The touch screens work on electricity." Diana explained, "Even hovering your finger over something on it can cause it to activate since people give off a very low electromagnetic frequency. In magic, we call it 'aura'. I've only read about it, but I'm sure some of the Master sorcerers can use a spell to see it. The Ancient One most likely can do it with a thought."

"You'll have to tell me more about your practice with magic." Bucky told her.

She smiled, "Sure. Let's head to this restaurant first and get you some food and me a chocolate milkshake."

The Soldier handed her the helmet and they both mounted the motorcycle.

*FMttM*

The place Bucky had picked was a diner off the beaten tourist paths of the Manhattan streets. Despite the diner being mostly empty, they took a couple seats at the counter. They sat there with their meals, enjoying the quiet of the diner.

"I've been wondering," Bucky spoke quietly, "what your first days in this time were like? Why did you start learning magic? Who taught you?"

"I started out in Kamar Taj before I went into stasis. It was mostly just keeping up on self defense and doing meditation more than anything magical." She explained, "After I woke up, I had a recovery time. My voice, senses, and muscles hadn't really been used in almost seventy years, so the Ancient One - she's the head of the sorcerers - helped me recover."

"It usually took me a few hours to recover from coming out of cryo." He told her, a little bitterness coming out in his voice, "Went straight to medical so they could make sure I was still in pristine condition."

Diana ran a hand down his leather jacket covered metal arm, "I'm sorry."

He shook his head, "It's done, and I'll never be forced to go through that again." His blue gaze turned back to her, "When did you start practicing magic?"

"Well, the Ancient One had told me that I had potential if my mind was open enough to the possibilities." She replied, "So, once I was on my feet, the Ancient One assigned me to a Master. She knew about you and Steve coming back, and assigned me to Daniel Drumm, the Master of the New York Sanctum."

"What's he like?"

"Master Daniel has been very kind to me since the beginning. He got me my apartment and furniture. He trained me in magic and hand-to-hand. I knew that a war was coming soon, and that you guys could use all the extra help you could get. So, I wanted to learn healing and defense - both of which you've seen."

"How does it work? The magic, I mean?"

Diana took a sip of her milkshake, "Well, the energy comes from elsewhere, but can be contained within for later use. There is, unfortunately, ways to misuse the magic by taking energy from a place called the 'Dark Dimension.' The effects of that place are visible on the sorcerer if they use it."

"It's no more dangerous than what Stark harnessed with his… blue glowy thing on his suit."

"Did you know he actually used to have one of those embedded in his chest?"

"What? Why?"

Diana told him the Ironman origin story - how he'd been betrayed and tortured in Afghanistan by the Ten Rings. How the experience had changed his entire outlook on life and made him a better person, "And he made that first suit of armor in a cave!"

"I remember Howard showing the flying car at the Stark Expo before I was shipped out to Europe. It didn't work so well, but if anyone could've gotten it running, I bet his son could. I'm amazed he already hasn't looked into it. He fixed my arm. It works even better than before and doesn't hurt as much."

Diana smiled, "I'm glad he's helped you. From what I know, Tony's always had more of an interest in robotics than cars. Although he does have several cars he probably tinkers with." She offered him her shake, "Want some?"

"Sure." Bucky took the straw and took a long sip, keeping his eyes locked on hers.

If that wasn't the sexiest thing she'd ever seen, she might as well be dead. Diana averted her eyes and bit her lip. Then she heard him moan. Oh god. She swallowed, "Glad you like it." Her voice was a little gravelly.

"I haven't had chocolate in... " He paused, "I think it was Christmas when I was twelve, just after I met Steve."

"You didn't get any treats during the War?"

He frowned, "I don't really remember. Maybe. I'll let you know when I find out."

Bucky took another long sip from the straw. "Save the rest for me!" She groused.

Before she could grab the milkshake glass, Bucky had finished the ice cream and gave a sly grin, "Sorry about that. It was just too good." Completely unapologetic.

Diana pouted for a moment before surging forward and kissing him straight on the lips. Her tongue flitted out to see if she could taste the remnants of the chocolate. Bucky's hand came up to the back of her head and pressed her closer as he kissed her. When he pulled back, he still had that sly smirk on his face.

Her eyes narrowed at him, "You stupid-face."

"I got my kiss."

"If you wanted me to kiss you, all you had to do was ask." Diana rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile.

"I know. I just wanted to see what you'd do."

"You're an idiot."

"So Steve tells me."

She stood, "Come on, we should pay and go."

Bucky paid and they strolled back out onto the street, "So, what now?" He asked, shoving his hands in his pockets as they both gravitated toward his motorcycle.

Diana thought for a moment, "Have you ever really seen the stars or the Milky Way?" She asked.

His expression scrunched up, "Maybe. I think I was on a mission and I remember the night sky. I think it was from the one in Africa."

She dug in her purse, "I brought my Sling ring. We could go somewhere far away from civilization and just… stargaze."

He smiled, "I like that idea, but we should probably return the motorcycle to the Tower before we go. Steve might kill me if it gets damaged or stolen."

"Okay."

*FMttM*

Diana had portaled briefly back to her apartment so she could change into something less formal for stargazing. When she returned to the Tower, Bucky had stored the motorcycle.

She created a portal and the two of them stepped through, "Where are we?" He asked.

"Lake Insula in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and Wilderness." She replied, "My family used to go camping here. We'd canoe and portage and then set up a tent on one of the islands. Once, my mom left out the soapy dishwater overnight. In the early morning, she saw the sponge in the water and decided to squeeze it out and empty the dirty water. When she picked up the sponge to squeeze it, she realized it wasn't a sponge at all. It was a mouse." Diana grinned in amusement, "She shrieked so loud that she probably woke up everyone camping on the lake."

Bucky chuckled, "I'm sure my ma or sister would've acted the same way."

"Come on." Diana motioned to him, "The campsite is this way. It's situated in a clearing, so it should be a great spot to look up at the night sky. Otherwise, we can go down to the shore."

After a few moments of walking through the brush, they did come to an empty campsite. There was a firepit surrounded by a bit of gravel and wooden log benches around it. The clearing led down to the lakeside, where the topsoil had been worn away and the basalt stone was all that was left.

Diana looked up and could clearly see the stars and the mist of the Milky Way. She glanced over at Bucky, who was also observing the stars, "It's so much nicer when we don't have to worry about getting shot." He commented softly, "I think the shore might give us an even better view."

He took her hand and tugged her toward the water, "I remember working at the docks in New York before being drafted into the sound of the water reminds me of that place." Bucky sat down on the stone and Diana followed suit, "It was also the only place close to home where you could see a few stars. Even back in the 40s, New York was so bright… you'd never see the sky like this."

"I see the Big Dipper." Diana pointed to the constellation, "And there's the Little Dipper."

Bucky's eyes searched the sky for a moment before he pointed, "I think that's Draco by Ursa Minor." He moved his hand to point at another constellation, "And I think that's Cassiopeia."

"How do you know that?"

His face scrunched up for a few seconds, "I think… I think one of the Howling Commandos liked astronomy. I'm sure he taught us the constellations so we could navigate if we ever got separated from each other." Bucky's blue eyes flicked around the darkened sky again, "And there's the North Star." He pointed farther to the left, near the Little Dipper, "One of the brightest star in the sky. Sirius, the Dog Star is the brightest, but I don't see it from this angle."

Diana smiled, "I wish I knew more about the stars. I wonder where Asgard is. Or Sakaar. Or Xandar."

"I recognize Asgard, but what are the other two?" Bucky asked.

"Sakaar is a garbage planet overseen by a powerful alien called The Grandmaster. Hundreds of interstellar portals drop debris onto the planet, and sometimes there are survivors. The Grandmaster hold gladiatorial games for him and his patrons' pleasure using those survivors and people his bounty hunters capture for him."

"That doesn't sound like a very nice place."

"No, I don't think it is."

"What about that other place?"

"Xandar is more like Earth, but they've mastered space travel." She explained, "It's home to an air and space force called the Nova Core. Or at least that's what it translates to. I doubt they speak English on that planet. They might have universal translators, though. Or maybe they know the Allspeak language that Thor and Loki use."

"Considering you know about these planets, I'm guessing we have some kind of space battle in the future?" He made a face, 'That sounds so crazy saying that."

Diana laughed, "Yes and no. The war will come to us. There's another group out there called the Guardians that will do most of the space stuff along with Thor and his team."

"I'd love to go into space sometime. Maybe visit the Moon or Mars." Bucky told her, "I remember listening to _War of the Worlds_ on the radio. Scared the shit out of me and Steve before a commercial break announcement told us that it was a fake story." He smirked a little, "I always thought the weirdest thing I'd ever see was Captain America, the super soldier. Now we might actually have a _War of the Worlds_ situation on our hands in the near future. Never thought I'd live to see that."

"Me neither." Diana told him and scooted closer to him, "There's always been conspiracy theories and alien hunters, even in my universe, but there's never been any proof. This world has proof - Thor and Loki and the Chitauri Invasion are proof. It's even a bit mind boggling for me to think that yes, aliens are real." She noticed that Bucky was staring confusedly at the sky, "What?"

He pointed, "What's that?" His flesh finger pointed to a moving shiny speck in the black.

Diana squinted at it before replying, "I bet that's a satellite. The US and some other countries have them up there. There's lots of debris too from rockets, shuttles, and broken down satellites. There's even the ISS - the International Space Station. There are some astronauts living up there right now."

Bucky's blue eyes shone with interest, "I have a lot of catching up to do."

"Talk to Tony about the science stuff. Or Bruce. They'd be able to tell you who to read up on if you want to know more. You could even take classes."

"I think I'll do that." Bucky wrapped an arm around Diana and pulled her closer so that their sides were touching, "But tell me what you know."

She smiled and leaned her head back against him so she could still see the night sky, "After World War II ended in 1945, the Soviet Union and the United States started what's commonly called the Cold War." She told him what she knew about the Arms Race and the Space Race.

As she spoke, they ended up laying down on the stone and she'd turned on her side, curling into his warmth.

*FMttM*

Diana's eyes snapped open when she felt like she was being squeezed. Bucky's metal arm was draped around her and his fingers were digging into the stone. She didn't really know what to do, trapped under the titanium with the man behind her having a not so pleasant dream.

"Bucky." She muttered, moving as best she could to try and soothe him or gently wake him up.

"No, no, no, no." His voice was strained and his face became buried in her hair, "Don't leave me." His grip tightened a little, "I'm sorry. Please…"

Diana felt her heart breaking for him, "Bucky, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

He began mumbling into her shoulder in Russian. Then, "Diana." And more Russian. Then he shuddered and relaxed.

Finally she was able to turn under his relaxed metal arm and she reached up to touch his face. He looked so much younger when he was asleep. The lines of war and torture and grief had faded to nothing. She could finally examine him close up.

Her fingers trailed along the strong, stubble-lined jaw to his full lips. Her thumb trailed along the lower lip and she watched his mouth tense. Diana smiled at the reaction.

She then moved her hand to comb through his hair. It was thick and still had the remnants of whatever hair gel he'd put in it for their date clinging to the strands she could reach.

"Hmmmm… That feels nice." Bucky murmured sleepily.

"Good morning."

His gorgeous blue eyes opened and crinkled when he smiled, "Bună dimineaţa. That's 'good morning' in Romanian."

"I guessed that." Diana replied, "Think you could teach me more Romanian?"

"Why not French, German, or Russian?" Bucky asked, "I know a lot of languages now. I guess that's one useful thing HYDRA left in my head."

"I'll stay away from Russian. HYDRA used that to condition you." She told him, "Natasha knows Russian, you know. I don't know about the others. But I don't think anyone on the team knows Romanian."

"I think…" His expression scrunched for a moment, "there's something… I can't quite remember…" Then he shook his head, "It doesn't matter. How'd you sleep?"

"I slept fine. You?"

"Better than usual." He gave a small smile, "We didn't go home last night. I wonder if Steve's trying to send out a search party."

"I hope not. I'd feel like a teenager out past curfew if Steve did that." Diana blushed, "Although I wouldn't put it past him."

Suddenly her stomach growled and Bucky chuckled, "Maybe we should head home. I think someone's hungry."

She stuck her tongue out at him, "Speak for yourself, bottomless food pit." Diana started to withdraw from his arms.

His embrace tightened, stopping her retreat, "Before we go…" Bucky pulled her close and kissed her. When he pulled back he trailed his thumb along her cheek, "I think that's a proper good morning."

"Yeah." Diana replied, a bit breathless and dazed.

He stood and pulled her up with him. His hand came up and combed gently through her hair, "We should come back here. It can be our escape from city life."

"I like that idea." She agreed as she dug out her Sling Ring to create a portal to Avengers Tower, "Now it's time to go back to reality."


End file.
